Distance
by Kal-El Fornia
Summary: He was dancing with her shadow, slow down memories hall. He said, "Wait, have I been seduced and forgotten?" She said, "Baby, haven't we all?"
1. The Chocolate War

So this started as a sort of angsty piece that I wanted to write, and well it kind of ran away from me a bit with how long it is. Originally, I thought of doing a one-shot, but then I decided to just continue the story. It went longer than I originally planned for and anticipated, but I don't think that that's too much of a problem.

Disclaimer: Yes, yes. Don't own Digimon. Scary, scary.

**Edit: 6/30/12 Came and revised a bit. Will continue to do so for later chapters. Cleaning up grammar mistakes, and certain wording or phrasing that I've come to not really like all that much. Just minor changes, nothing too serious. Just trying to improve the writing style, and experience for the reader.**

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><p>Two teens were walking on a pier in Tokyo, a brunette girl accompanied by a boy who refused to look at her, and though they had known each other for most of the important moments of each other's lives, the walk was an uncomfortable one. The girl looked toward the boy, whose hands were in the pockets of his jacket, and whose eyes were looking forward and away, and she gave him a quick glance that showed her sadness and partial regret. She had known him since her youth when they were both just children battling monsters centuries old, and knew that ever since he first saved her life, that he would never look back and keep on doing so. This was why she felt guilty at the moment, that beside her was a boy who had taken care of her while she was sick, a boy that had battled beside her so many times, a boy who had always come to her rescue every time she needed it always saving her life in the process, and a boy whose spirit she had wounded.<p>

"You've been avoiding me."

"Yeah."

She knew better than to deny that she had been doing so; he knew her too well to know when she wasn't telling the truth.

"Why?"

A quick silence passed between the two as they kept on walking down the pier. They were walking side by side, barely any distance between them, and yet, it was like the two of them were worlds apart. It was as if they weren't even beside each other; as if they didn't want to be.

"You know why, Takeru."

His response was a slow nod of his head, while she said nothing else to elaborate, letting the silence overtake them once again. That quietness between them was how they walked for a time, neither one of them daring to say a word, neither one daring to look at the other. She hated that things had become this way between the two of them, when before they had been able to fill nearly every second shared between them with either laughter, chatter, or a comfortable silence; not a silence brought on by pain or awkwardness.

Hikari had no idea how to reply to Takeru's nod, or even if she should have, so instead she just looked away. It was then that she remembered that their older friend Miyako had said she was going to eventually meet up with the two of them, and she took out her phone to look at the time. It was while she was looking at the shining screen of her cell phone that she heard something surprising beside her; Takeru was laughing.

"Am I really that boring Hikari?"

The girl gave him a light smile as she put her phone away, glad to once again hear the laughter whose sound seemed almost foreign to her ears now. She had seen Takeru numerous times in the previous two weeks: in class where she had requested to no longer be seated at his side, at get-together's for the Chosen Children, and even in passing where she would see him at his apartment complex when she was visiting Miyako. However, the only times they actually talked in the past two weeks was when he and his brother Yamato had been over at her home for Sunday breakfast as was their tradition, but even then their conversations were awkward and short. Hearing him laugh once again made Hikari happy; especially after knowing that she was the reason that Takeru didn't laugh as much as he used to anymore.

"Is it okay if we sit down for a bit?"

As he looked at her, she noted the gentle look he had in his eyes, but that was before he quickly closed them and gave her a small nod; nods seeming to be his favorite way of communicating with her nowadays. Walking a little bit more they found a small bench to sit on, one of many that were spread out across the pier, and with that they sat down and gazed forward looking toward the ocean. She gave a tired sigh when she noted the ocean's blue was the same hue as Takeru's eyes.

"I have something to say, Hikari."

Hearing this she closed her eyes wishing that the blonde would not continue speaking. She knew what he was going to say, and she didn't want to hurt him again, she didn't want to hurt him for the third time.

"Takeru, please don't."

They remained quiet for a moment as they sat side by side on the bench, still looking at the ocean before them. She turned to look at the boy, and her heart almost broke when she saw the tears welling up in his eyes.

"I'm in love with you."

She sighed after hearing the words she never wanted Takeru to say, and the tears in his eyes began slowly flowing knowing that she didn't want to hear them. She inched closer to the boy beside her, and touching his hand causing him to look at her, she indicated that she wanted a hug from him, which he allowed. That was how they stayed for minutes on end, ignoring glances received by curious passerby. She felt terrible feeling his tears wet her bare shoulders, but she knew that it would only cause more pain for the both of them if she led him on, or if she returned the words out of pity.

"I'm sorry, Hikari."

She shushed him and tightened her hug, wishing that she wasn't capable of hurting him like that, and wishing that she would be able to sooth him. It was then that she felt him lift his head off her shoulders and bring his mouth to her ear.

"Is there even a chance?"

Hikari said nothing, and only tightened her hug even more hoping that Takeru knew what she meant, and what she didn't want to say; he did. Slowly and gently he forced his way out of the hug and positioned himself back to sitting at Hikari's side on the bench, all the while wiping the tears from his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Takeru."

Hikari hated herself slightly for making the boy who was most loyal to her, the boy who not being family had no reason to be loyal to her, hurt so much. She honestly wasn't sure if she could ever feel for Takeru what he just expressed as feeling for her, and she didn't want to give him any false hope. She also wasn't sure if she wanted to end up like the rest of the female Chosen Children who were on her team, who now were dating male Chosen Children, and with Takeru she would be just like the rest of them. She, like so many others, wanted to be in charge of her own destiny.

"It's okay Hikari, I knew what was going to happen, but I just had to try once more. I feel like I wouldn't be able to go on in life if I didn't try at least one last time."

Hearing him say the words, 'one last time', made Hikari feel a pang in her heart, because it made things sound as if Takeru was giving up on her entirely; something she thought would never happen. In her life both inside her world and the digital one, Hikari never once had given up on Takeru, because she knew that no matter the situation that he would always be by her side. Glancing at his eyes, eyes that were puffy and tired looking from the crying, she felt that she would have deserved it if he were to cast her out of his life.

"I love you Takeru, just not like that."

He held his head high and smiled, refusing to let this rejection's pain show as much as it did with the first two; if not for the sake of his Japanese pride, then for the sake of Hikari who was watching.

"I'm sorry if I've put you through anything emotionally difficult," he gave a forced laugh, "after what happened the last few times I should have learned my lesson."

Hearing this, Hikari looked away from him and back towards the ocean. She had always enjoyed the color of that blue.

"Don't talk like that, Keru."

Takeru gave a small smile when he heard what Hikari called him, but if she had been looking at him he didn't think that he'd be able to give even that.

"I know, it's just that after the first time I knew I couldn't give up so easily, and then on Valentine's day you gave me honmei-chocolate, so I thought you had changed your mind. You made it clear that you didn't, and even after all that I do this and make a fool of myself again."

Hikari knew it was her fault when Takeru confessed his love to her for the second time. It had been Valentine's day, and in class she had presented him honmei-chocolate instead of the usual giri-chocolate, and the moment she saw his face light up she knew she had made a mistake. The moment he saw what kind of chocolate it was, was the same moment that she had seen him at his happiest. The only reason she had chosen to change the type of chocolate she gave him was because every White day he would shower her with thoughtful gifts, and she figured that this one Valentine's Day she could at least show her love, platonic as it was, for him. He had shyly taken the chocolate, and then in a moment of confidence had told her he loved her and proceeded to then kiss her.

It was their second kiss, their original one happening the first time he expressed his feelings, but it ended in the same way; with Hikari pulling away, and with Takeru being confused and brokenhearted. She didn't know it could happen, but his face held more pain at that moment then at any other time she had ever seen him, and her heart had ached when she saw him holding back tears. The other girls, not only in their class, but around the school as well responded to the incident by calling her insane for turning down Takeru, and the guys responded by being more forward with her in their intentions, no longer seeing Takeru as a threat.

That rejection had been a grand humiliation for Takeru, him being even more shamed when Hikari asked to not be seated with him any longer. She regretted requesting that of her teacher now, seeing that she might have acted a little rash in that situation by asking that her best friend no longer sat with her. She felt that if she asked the teacher again that he might be able to remedy the situation by once again putting Takeru at her side, a place where upon reflection was the only that she could rightly see Takeru. Honestly, now more than ever did Hikari want to be by his side in the same way that he had always been by hers. That second kiss was two weeks ago, and Takeru confessing his love and her subsequent rejection of that love was the reason why she had not talked to him lately; until the current moment where she wanted to be there for him, she figured that distance would be good for them.

"You're not a fool Takeru, you're the sweetest boy I've ever known, and you don't deserve to be hurt like this. You deserve someone who loves you as much as you love them."

A pause.

"What are you saying, Hikari?"

Another pause.

"You need to move on."

This was not what Takeru wanted to hear, but it didn't change the fact that this was what Hikari said. He sighed as he pulled his hat, a beanie, off his head and leaned forward gripping it as he rested his elbows on his knees. He looked toward the ocean, and forced a laugh at the situation he was in.

"I don't think any girl would really want to get involved with me so soon after seeing me kiss you."

Hikari smiled when she heard him laugh, because it was a sound that no matter the situation, filled her with happiness. Even if it was forced.

"Please Takaishi, any girl at school would kill someone just to be able to date you."

"You wouldn't."

With this Hikari's smile disappeared until Takeru jokingly nudged her and stood up. Looking up at him, she thought that maybe they had finally come to an understanding.

"Let's walk a bit more yeah? I'm sore from the bench."

He held out his hand to Hikari expecting her to grab onto it so he could help her up. She seemed hesitant to grab it to which Takeru simply rolled his eyes at her. She blushed from embarrassment seeing as holding hands had never been a big deal between the two of them; at least it didn't used to be.

After taking her hand and helping her up they began walking, and Takeru was once again silent. It was a very bittersweet day for him. On one hand he now knew that Hikari would most likely never want with him what he wanted with her, but on the other hand the way they were now acting made him feel that they could go back to the way things once were. At least this way he could still have her in his life.

He was quiet, and Hikari sensed that something was wrong. She knew that he was hurt by the rejection, the dried up tears on her shoulder being evidence enough, but she didn't know if that was what he was currently thinking about. After debating with herself on whether or not she should have asked him what was wrong, Hikari decided to see what he was thinking about, and she gave him a playful nudge.

"What's on your mind, Keru?"

This time it was Takeru who seemed hesitant in something. He looked at Hikari, and then looked away. Many things had been troubling him, many things still were, though only one refused to stop hassling his thoughts.

"Why did you stop coming to my games?"

Again, there was silence between them.

"I thought that distance would be good for us."

For a second it seemed like Takeru had the air knocked out of him. His face contorted and for a second showed the true sadness he felt. He had hoped that Hikari could still be in his life if not as a lover then as the friends they once were, but hearing how she wanted to be away from him like that made him feel like that wasn't possible. Tears he thought he didn't have welled up in his eyes, much too easily for his own taste to be honest, and with his broken pride trying to hide what he felt, he narrowed his eyes at Hikari.

"You promised me we would always be friends."

Hikari went to grab his hand which Takeru roughly pulled away, and when she stepped up closer to him he began to back away as well. She had hurt him again and even more, which she didn't was possible after everything that had already happened between them.

"We always will be friends Keru, no matter what."

He was crying angry tears, too hurt to believe the small brunette. He had been through a roller coaster of emotions that day, most of those emotions being bad ones to feel. It confused him that the same girl he had always been there for to help and make happy was the same one who was making him feel worthless at the moment. He shook his head. If he wasn't good enough for his best friend, there weren't many people he would be good enough for.

"Don't call me that," he closed his eyes and wiped away some tears, "do you still think that distance would be good for us?"

Hikari looked down and wished that she could lie to him and say no, but she was aware that he knew her to well to be fooled. At this point, lying would be just another slap to the face.

"Yeah."

Takeru turned away and began walking down the pier again, to which Hikari followed him as well. Neither one knew what to say, Hikari afraid that this was how it would always be from now on with her best friend and Takeru feeling too betrayed to make conversation. They stopped walking when they saw classmates of theirs, strangers who they exchanged daily good mornings with, gathered at the end of the pier seeming to enjoy themselves at the local shops and places to eat. Takeru sighed and walked over to a nearby railing to lean on it and stared once again at the ocean; Hikari followed suit.

"How much distance?"

She was relieved to hear him talk, and she was even more relieved when he didn't sound angry. Her emotions were mixed now that even after all she had put him through, that Takeru still wanted her in his life. She felt that if she could grow to love him like he loved her that they could easily have something beautiful, but that's not where she wanted to see herself with Takeru; at least not yet.

"Not a lot."

He said nothing, and he didn't even nod this time.

"Please don't be mad, Takeru."

He looked away from the ocean and began to take in the people around him instead. He wondered how many of them had suffered a broken spirit, and he wondered how many of them had been betrayed by all the people that they held closest to their hearts. His parent's divorce had scarred him since he was a child, and only Yamato and Hikari knew how much it still hurt; this, though not as serious, was a reminder of that familiar pain. The rejection hurt, but he didn't hold that against her. Instead, it was the broken promise of friendship, it was her so easily disregarding everything they had once told each other in trust.

It was then that he took notice of a girl sitting on a nearby bench who was sketching. He vaguely recognized her from his class as a girl named Ayano, someone that for the most part he had ignored, but this was the first time that he realized that she was actually kind of pretty. It was possible that this was because he was so blinded by his devotion to Hikari that most of the time he didn't notice all the attractiveness of the girls around him, but now after finding out that Hikari wasn't even devoted enough to keep her promise of friendship to him, he felt free to view this girl Ayano, and really anyone else who caught his interest, in different lights. This one was a quiet girl and he knew she was an artist or something of that manner, but he didn't recall ever actually seeing any of her work. In Takeru's opinion, it was about time that changed.

He rose up from the railing, to which Hikari did also, and his actions surprised the both of them when he brought her into a hug, and then kissed her forehead.

"What are you doing?"

Releasing her from his hug, the only contact left between the two of them was Takeru holding her hands. He didn't want to think it, but to him it felt like a perfect fit.

"I'm moving on."

He let go of her hands, and looked away. His heart aching for her, and his heart breaking because of her.

"I'll talk to you later, Hikari-chan. Goodbye."

Hearing him call her that, it was something that Hikari hated. It had been so formal and forced, and the way he said it was a way that seemed to ignore all the history they had shared between them. She didn't like the way it sounded coming out of his mouth, and she didn't like the way that Takeru turned away from her, and left her behind so that he could go and sit with some girl that was sketching on a bench.

She watched him introduce himself, he was quick to crack a joke despite how the rest of the day had gone, and she kept her eyes on the both of them for a while feeling a bit of envy when she saw Takeru break out in smiles or laughter, or when the same could have been said of the girl that he was sitting with. She wondered, what exactly where Takeru's intentions with this girl? Hikari had an odd moment of feeling protective, and possessive even, when she saw the artist slightly close the distance between herself and Takeru.

It wasn't until later when she was sitting on the bus on the way home, that Hikari texted Miyako telling her not to wait up for her and Takeru, and she lingered with her phone in her hand wanting desperately to talk to him. She gave in to temptation and sent him a text message to see how he was. No matter what they were ever going through, and no matter how angry they were at the other they would always respond a text message. It had been a promise that they made to each other when they first received their cell phones, and Hikari knew that Takeru always kept his promises. She kept waiting for a response late into the night and then morning until she fell asleep with her phone still in her hand. He never texted back.

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><p>Honmei-chocolate means chocolate of love and girls in Japan are supposed to give it to boys that they love on Valentine's day. It's a chocolate of higher quality most of the time homemade and given to boyfriends, husbands, or prospective boyfriends.<p>

Giri-chocolate means courtesy chocolate and is usually of lower quality and given to like friends or co-workers things like that.


	2. Any Which Way, but Zeus

Hello, the name's Leon, and here I am fixing some things up. There are parts of this story that I didn't like when I looked back and read it again, but that's why I'm doing this. In any case, when I first posted this I was surprised, happily of course, by the reaction this story got. It seemed that a lot of people were psyched for it, and I enjoyed the way people seemed to enjoy it. Anyways, I'm cleaning things up as of now, and if you're one of the people who originally read this way back when it was first posted, or if you're barely getting to it now, well thanks for taking time out of your schedules to do so. I'm happy to entertain you folks.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Ain't that a kick in the head?

**Edit: 7/1/12 Came and revised a bit. Will continue to do so for later chapters. Cleaning up grammar mistakes, and certain wording or phrasing that I've come to not really like all that much. Just minor changes, nothing too serious. Just trying to improve the writing style, and experience for the reader.**

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><p>For Hikari, every Sunday morning she could remember in recent years had always been the same no matter what else had been going on in her life. She would wake up to the smell of the cooking of Taichi and Yamato, her parents leaving the apartment to partake in Sunday rituals of their own, and then she would go and talk with Takeru, regardless if there was anything causing friction between them, until the food was ready for them to eat. As far as she could tell, most of the Sunday breakfasts that the two sets of siblings shared had been a part of a weekly routine to be looked forward to, and the only time that had not personally been the case for her was the previous gathering when the tension was too much for her to even look at Takeru.<p>

However, this specific morning was one where Hikari was excited to be able to see her best friend. It had been the previous day when they were at the pier that he had confessed his lingering feelings for her, and then, at her urging, promised her to move on. Looking back on it, her asking him to do that might have been a little rash and somewhat harsh to be honest, and as she woke up Hikari wanted nothing more than to see him again. While lying in bed, she was having trouble figuring out the reason on why precisely she wanted to see Takeru so badly, and it was thinking about this that left her wondering what exactly she wanted with him anyways. One thought that went through her mind was that he had said that he was moving on and seemed to have taken a liking to the artist girl from their class, and putting two and two together, that meant that there was a possibility that Takeru was going to have another girl in his life. It was an odd thing to think about or even acknowledge, and frankly it was something that sounded a bit paranoid as well, but even though she knew that she should have been happy for Takeru if and when he eventually found someone, she wasn't. There were strange happenings, new feelings and insecurities she didn't expect to have, that made all this impossible.

Hikari had not enjoyed seeing Takeru with Ayano, had not enjoyed watching as he left her side to join the almost stranger in chatter, and this is what was bothering her so much at the moment. She knew, but had a hard time admitting, that she felt slightly jealous of the other girl for having Takeru's attention the previous day at the pier, and Hikari was just glad that she would be the one talking with him in the few minutes it would take her to get ready for breakfast. She had always been Takeru's main person to whom he gave his attention, and Hikari knew that even though things were a bit rocky between them lately, that she still wanted to be the person who was primarily on his mind. She knew it was selfish, she truly did, but it didn't matter because in a few short moments it would be only her and Takeru on a Sunday morning; just like it always had been.

Feeling around for her phone, she couldn't find it on her bed, and for a moment she thought that she had somehow lost it, or as was most likely the case had somehow dropped it under her bed, until she caught a glimpse of it across the room plugged in charging in the wall. She was confused, because she didn't remember putting her phone to charge the previous night, but that confusion disappeared once she saw Tailmon rummaging through one of her cabinets.

"Tailmon, what are you doing?"

The cat digimon stopped and turned to Hikari, giving her a huge smile as was always the case, before she turned back to the cabinet.

"I'm looking for a candy bar. I lost a bet with Patamon so I owe him one."

Hikari smiled knowing that Patamon being in her home meant that the orange blob's partner Takeru would be there as well. It was a calming to know that he was there, a sign that she and and Takeru were still there for each other despite any ugliness that had happened. It wasn't until she turned back to the direction of her phone and Tailmon, that she frowned and remembered that Takeru hadn't texted back the night before; he always texted her back.

"Tailmon, you put my phone to charge right?"

"I had Taichi do it."

"Well, did I get anything?"

The digimon stopped rummaging through Hikari's cabinet, and turned to look towards her human partner. She gave her a confused look since she knew that Hikari was never one to concern herself over something as silly as her phone unless it was about something very serious. For the most part, Hikari only really relied on the gadget to keep up with the daily, and usually benign, lives of her friends.

"Were you expecting something, Hikari?"

Hikari thought back to Takeru, and in doing so, also thought back to how she had broken his heart. She knew that hurting someone in the matters of love was always serious and could never be taken lightly, but she still believed that Takeru would never break a promise to her no matter how badly she had hurt him. Still, she wished that she wasn't able to hurt Takeru the way that she had, that that was something that neither of them had to go through. Her mind fluttered to different things, as did her heart, and she began to think about happy memories and also ones that she would prefer be forgotten.

"Yeah I texted Takeru last night, but he never responded."

Tailmon gave a shrug as she used her tail to unhook her partner's phone from the charger, and jumped on Hikari's bed, and started stretching as she placed the phone in Hikari's hand.

"Sorry he didn't send anything, but maybe he's sick. He didn't come here with Yamato or Patamon."

With this Hikari shot up out of her bed and hurried out her bedroom door, because she had a feeling in her heart that something was wrong with Takeru. They had made promises long ago that they would never ignore a text or a phone call from the other, and also that if it was within their control that they would never miss a Sunday breakfast either, and now Takeru had done both. Maybe he was sick, but that was only wishful thinking on her part. Hikari's heart filled with guilt upon thinking of the possibilities of what could have happened to Takeru. Had she stayed by his side the day before she could have made sure he gone home safely, but she didn't; she was too selfish not wanting to see Takeru get close to another girl, to actually stay and make sure that her best friend was safe. She knew that he was her protector, him along with her brother always watching over her, always being a short distance away if help was what she needed, but that protection was a two-way street, and if anything happened to Takeru that she could have prevented, she knew that the guilt would kill her.

Rushing into her living room, she couldn't believe that Yamato and Taichi were idly still cooking instead of being worried about Takeru like she was, and she was shocked at how the digimon, even Patamon, nonchalantly played cards when one of their own team members was possibly in danger.

Watching his little sister bursting into the living room with a wild look in her eye was strange enough, but seeing her stare angrily at everyone in the room while still dressed in her pajamas was quite an odd thing to see. From what he could tell, she had just woken and hadn't even done her hair yet.

"Hikari, is everything okay?"

Ignoring her brother, Hikari turned and focused her attention on Patamon. The chubby little monster blinked as he looked back at her, and she quickly ran to him and grabbed him. This was possibly serious, and she needed to know how Takeru was doing. She knew that she was probably overreacting, honestly this was what she was hoping for, but she couldn't help but worry.

"Patamon, is Takeru okay?"

Patamon dropped the cards he already had enough trouble holding onto when Hikari grabbed him, and when she asked this question of him he blinked twice more, not really understanding what she wanted to know.

"He said he was when I asked him last night."

Hikari tensed up knowing that she had been right about something bad happening to Takeru after she had left him. Her only consolation was that he got home safely enough to be able to tell Patamon that he was okay.

"What was wrong with him?"

She hoped that the answer was only something minor, and that Takeru would be home safe and sound with no injuries at all. She didn't know what she would do without the boy in her life, and at this thought Hikari felt a bit of shame knowing that the boy that she apparently couldn't live without, was the same boy she had spent the last two weeks pushing away from her.

"He looked like he was crying."

The shame only grew stronger from there knowing that she was the reason behind those tears, and with that it broke her heart to know that if something was indeed wrong with Takeru, that she would be the reason behind that as well. She looked away for a second, she couldn't look Patamon in the face, only to turn her head in the direction of the kitchen when she heard someone slam their fist on the table. She knew it was Yamato even before she looked, but when she did she found that Yamato was not looking at her, but instead he just went back to his cooking.

Hikari looked to the phone that was in her hand, and opened it typing in Takeru's number she knew by heart, to see the real reason why he hadn't shown up for breakfast. She didn't care what Yamato thought, she already knew he didn't like her because of her recent rejections of his brother, but all she cared about was that Takeru was okay. She was nervous about what to say to him about why he wasn't at her home yet, but the nervousness was replaced with a pain she didn't know how to describe when she heard his phone ring twice then go to voice mail; he had ignored her.

"Where is he?"

Her question to Patamon had come out angrier then intended, and the little orange monster began to squirm under her glare. Patamon first looked to Yamato, who had his back turned to them as he was still making breakfast with Taichi, and then he looked to Tailmon who had a similar glare as her partner. Patamon simply sighed; he had no idea what else he could do.

"He went out with a girl this morning."

Suddenly, Yamato and Taichi both stopped cooking, and turned to look at the scene in the living room. Honestly, Yamato felt a bit of pride in his little brother for both ignoring a call from Hikari and setting new sights on a girl he had yet to meet. Taichi just smirked at the image of Takeru going on an awkward date with a girl that wasn't his sister. Neither Taichi nor Yamato, or really anyone else, would have thought that Takeru would have ever had it in him.

"So little Takeru-kun has a girlfriend he's hiding from us, eh Patamon?"

Hikari stood up and glared at her brother, an unfamiliar look coming from her as if she was ready to kill him, causing Taichi's smirk to fade, but only making Yamato's face begin to beam with more pride than he already had. Yamato knew the look that Hikari had, it was a look he had seen thousands of times from the boyfriends of his many fans; she was jealous.

"Where are they?"

Patamon gulped at the second angry question from Hikari, and the little guy figured it would be better for him to simply tell her as quickly as possible where his partner was. In Patamon's opinion, the teenage girl in front of him was acting very different than her normal self. It was pretty scary.

"He said he was taking her to the ramen shop by our apartment."

Without another word, and a face red from anger she simply picked up her shoes and left her apartment, waiting until she reached the elevator to put on her sneakers. She did not only have simple anger for Takeru, she was furious at her best friend for leaving her. Hikari couldn't believe that he would make her worry the way that he had, and ditch her for some random girl from class that he barely even knew. This new girl didn't deserve to have Takeru's attention, when it was instead Hikari that had known him since they were children. Takeru didn't need a pretty artist, he needed his best friend.

She walked quickly in the direction of Takeru's apartment, quickening up into a jog every now and again, and she knew exactly which Ramen shop would be the one he was at. Hikari herself had gone there with Takeru on numerous occasions to eat food and relax, and she missed those days when love was unspoken between them, and when it was only her that caught Takeru's eye. She didn't know why it bothered her so much that Takeru had recently started spending time with Ayano, recently being less than even a day, but she knew that she hated it. However, Hikari had an inkling inside of her that it didn't end there, and something in her mind, and a stabbing feeling in her heart, had told her that deep down she had started to hate Ayano as well.

She stopped jogging when she had found the right restaurant, anger making the time it took to get there almost seem miniscule, and she stomped inside without a second thought, storming to Takeru's table when she had located it. She had found him laughing with the artist girl, said artist laughing in the way girls do when they pretend to find a cute boy's joke funny. Though his laughter would almost always bring Hikari joy, today was different; instead of the happiness she expected, she only felt envy and regret.

Takeru's giant grin became a small smile when he saw Hikari enter through the front door of the restaurant, and Ayano's smile completely disappeared upon seeing the girl she knew Takeru to have once professed to love. He wondered what she was doing there, figuring that it was Patamon that told Hikari where he was, and he gave his old friend a warm look as she walked over to him. He was happy to see her; despite anything or everything that happened, that would always be the case.

"Good morning, Hikari-chan."

Her face twisted when she heard what he had called her, and she screamed at Takeru causing the other patrons in the ramen shop to turn and face their direction.

"What the hell, Takeru?"

All he did was share a glance with Ayano, which Hikari noticed, and Ayano stood up from the chair she was in and stared Hikari in the face. She had enjoyed her time with Takeru, she never would have guessed that he'd be her type in more than just the looks department, but she decided to just leave since she would rather not get in a cat fight with Hikari.

"Good morning Hikari-chan, it's nice to see you, and while I don't want to seem rude, it's obvious that you two need to work something out. I think I should go."

Hikari, surprised at how Takeru's date was dealing with the situation, gave the girl a hard look and took a few moments to study her. Apparently, Ayano was supposed to be a really good artist or something or other, and on top of that she was pretty as well. Hikari hadn't heard of Ayano having any boyfriends at the school, though that meant nothing and for all she knew, Ayano could very well possibly be a sex crazed party girl. Though, she noted that there was a sort of elegance in which Ayano carried herself, with an accompanying dash of grace that was the type of thing that only came as the result of old money, and with manners not expected of their generation. Ayano's long hair even contrasted so much with Hikari's own boyish haircut, and honestly it was something that made the latter feel a bit insecure about things. With all this in her mind, with the knowledge that she was still in her pajamas while Ayano was much too dressed up to be out for breakfast, Hikari decided that she now officially hated the other girl.

"Yes, you should."

There stood the girl that was trying to steal her Takeru away from her, and Hikari didn't like talking to or treating people that way, but she knew she had to do something extreme if she wanted to keep the artist away from him; at least until she resolved her feelings. Hikari felt a small victory as Ayano was about to leave until Takeru stood up as well and quickly grabbed her closest hand. Watching was like feeling a knife in her heart, since she was the only girl that Takeru was supposed to hold hands with.

"Please, don't."

Hikari hated the way that Takeru was almost pleading with Ayano to stay with him, almost as if Takeru didn't want to be left alone with her, and she hated the way that Ayano greeted his soft gaze with one of her own. She watched as Ayano placed her other hand on top of Takeru's making the contact between them all the more tentative, and all the more intimate. It was almost as if the girl was purposely trying to mock her, and Hikari had to look away.

"I have to Takeru-kun. I'll you see you tonight okay?"

Takeru's smile was a small one as he let his hand slip out of Ayano's, and watched her walk away and out of the ramen shop. That same soft smile disappeared upon looking at Hikari, and as much as he wanted to be angry at her for ruining what he wasn't was a date, he knew that he couldn't when he saw that she almost had tears in her eyes. Takeru grabbed Hikari's hand and led her out of the ramen shop, he and Ayano having already paid for their food when they ordered it, and they began walk in a random direction aimlessly, like they had done so many times before.

After walking around in silence they had ended up in a park that was almost exactly a halfway point between both of their apartment complexes, and with Takeru still holding her hand, Hikari sat down at the first shady tree she saw bringing her friend down with her. That was how they sat for twenty minutes, side by side in the silence and the shade, and they knew without speaking that moments like this were about to become a rare thing.

"What's wrong, Hikari-chan?"

It was Takeru who broke the silence, and upon hearing what he had called her, it was Hikari who pulled her hand away from him, all the while regretting that they had to end the contact they had. She knew she was uncomfortable with Takeru's budding friendship to Ayano, but it wasn't until she saw right in her face the all the possibilities of any future closeness, that the insecurity she felt hit her right in the face. She didn't want to lose him, she didn't want another person to become closer to him than she was, and as selfish as it sounded, especially since she had rejected him thrice, she didn't want to lose her position as the focus of his heart.

"You're acting awfully close to a girl you've barely known for a day."

Takeru sighed and pulled off the beanie he had been wearing, and put his arm around her, as he let her rest her head on him. He had no idea what she was feeling or going through at the moment, but Hikari needed somebody right now. As corny as it sounded, as cliché as it was, she needed someone to lean on.

"Is that what this is about, Hika?"

Hikari looked up at him when she heard what he had called her, and her face started to almost smile. Even though it had been only since the previous day, it felt like forever since Takeru had used an affectionate name with her. However, he seemed to realize his mistake and coughed loudly.

"ri-chan," Another cough. "Hikari-chan."

The almost smile never became one, and Hikari knew that as long as the affectionate part of Takeru that she had grown to love then take for granted was gone, that she wouldn't be able to be as happy as she once was. She wondered if this is how Takeru felt those times that she had rejected him, with every action second guessed, and with every emotion repressed. She had always known that he was strong, but after Hikari had tasted for about an hour what she had made him go through for so long, she was without any doubts that her Takeru was the strongest person that she knew.

She leaned even closer to him, closing almost all the empty space between them, and when she saw him smile the same smile he had when she had given him those chocolates on Valentine's day, she knew that having the old Takeru back would be a simple thing to accomplish if she just told him how she felt. However, Hikari didn't want to bring up her jealously for Ayano, feeling too embarrassed about it, and she didn't want to tell Takeru that she returned his feelings yet when she was still unsure, or refused to acknowledge, how she really felt. She knew he was expecting an answer. She refused to give the right one.

"You shouldn't act so familiar with her, Takeru. It's wrong to play with people's feelings."

The words came out with a slight bitterness that she didn't want to emphasize, but she knew that Takeru heard it. The bitterness was because she felt as if her own feelings were being played with, but that was out of her mind when her heart leapt with joy as she felt Takeru hold her tighter for a second. However, it was only for a second. He released her, and pushed her away from him and closed his eyes as he put he looked away from the brunette.

"How can you say that? I've never once played with someone's emotions," at this point Takeru looked at Hikari with tears in his eyes, tears being something that had been starting to come to him rather easily, and he noted that she too had them glistening, "I'm not you, Hikari-chan."

His words hurt her, but she didn't want to cry in front of Takeru, she didn't want him to think that she was weak, especially not now of all times.

"What do you mean?"

Takeru stood up and this and looked down at Hikari with his teary eyes, his oh so teary eyes, almost shaking his head in disgust.

"You shouldn't be talking about playing with someone's emotions, since that's all that you do. Did you forget yesterday? Did you forget about what you just barely did right now?"

Hikari stared back at Takeru with her tears almost brimming. She remained silent.

"You've put me through shit Hikari-chan, and you've made me feel like shit. Not just me, Daisuke-kun too, and who knows how many other guys."

Takeru looked away, and so did Hikari, neither knowing what he was going to say next.

"It's all a fucking game to you," he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Goodbye, Hikari-chan."

With this Takeru turned away from Hikari since he knew that the both of them had tears they needed to shed, tears that misplaced pride wouldn't let them show each other, and as he walked away he never looked back at the girl who had been his comrade; he didn't even consider it. Hikari knowing that Takeru wasn't watching anymore felt free to finally cry and let out her pain. And that's what she did as she was alone with her tears under the shade, the silence replaced with weeping.

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><p>So far, I think this revising thing is doing a good job in making this story better. I personally like it more this way. I hope you guys do too.<p> 


	3. 90 Minutes in Heaven

Still cleaning, and as of now I have just finished fixing up this chapter. This whole revising a 50k+ words ongoing story thing has been a hassle to be honest, but there was a certain part of me that didn't feel right keeping a story up when it wasn't up to it's potential. Or, up to par if potential is the incorrect word to use. Anyways, as per my schedule, I shall move on with the cleaning/revising to the next piece of this puzzling story. Puzzling, since I still have no idea where I'm going to go with it ending wise.

Anyways, in this chapter, and whole story really, I thought I would portray Daisuke in a positive light. I've come to notice that on this site, particularly stories that involve Takeru and Hikari being together, that Daisuke tends to be one of the characters that is bashed the most. Thankfully, this has started to become less of a case more and more, but you still see it every once in a while. It's a shame really.

When I first uploaded this chapter I did mention that I had a doctor's appointment. It was nerve wracking, but everything came out 100 percent fine.

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. Not that big of a surprise.

**Edit: 7/2/12 Came and revised a bit. Will continue to do so for later chapters. Cleaning up grammar mistakes, and certain wording or phrasing that I've come to not really like all that much. Just minor changes, nothing too serious. Just trying to improve the writing style, and experience for the reader.**

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><p>It was Thursday, four days after Takeru had left her crying in a park, but to Hikari the incident still seemed like it had just happened; crying becoming a normal thing for her in the span of those four days. She was in class now, the class she shared with the boy who had told her that he loved her, and Hikari couldn't help but to keep looking over her right shoulder to the spot that he was seated in. She wondered if he was watching her when she wasn't looking at him herself, and she missed the days when she didn't even have to ask that question, already knowing it to be true. She looked over her shoulder yet another time to see him just once more before the teacher came back from the restroom, and before he started class back up. Hikari knew that Takeru had at least loved her at one recent point in his life, and she knew that she wanted him to love her once again, but what she wasn't sure about was if she herself ever wanted to love Takeru in return. She sighed, also knowing how selfish she was being.<p>

"Just go talk to him."

Hikari turned away from the blonde boy that she was looking at, though her thoughts never quite left him, and she then gave her attention to her newest desk mate; her previous one being Takeru. Her desk mate was a chubby girl named Ume who had always lovingly described herself as plump, always enthusiastically so as well, and now there Ume was encouraging her to go and speak with the boy that she had already hurt so much. It's not like she didn't want to, in the course of new found revelations it became something that was paramount to her, but Hikari had no way of figuring out how or when it was appropriate to do so. Takeru had never talked to her the way that he had at the park before, and frankly it was a bit frightening to see him that way.

"I can't."

Ume grinned at what Hikari said, taking her to be overly melodramatic, and as she rested her chubby face in her hands she gave Hikari a look that showed joking affection. Watching her new pal's interactions with Takeru was better than anything any soap opera could give her.

"But he's in love with you."

Hikari's almost blank face immediately became an angry one, and her eyes narrowed as she glared at the chubby girl beside her. There was no way in hell that she was going to let someone make fun of Takeru. Never.

"Don't you dare mock him."

Ume straightened back up in her chair, and gave Hikari an inquisitive look. She was curious to why Hikari was being so defensive over Takeru, it wasn't like playful joking around was anything new, and she quietly wondered while secretly knew that he was the reason that Hikari had been so different and moody all week. Ume grunted; pretty girls were always the most convoluted. Sure, the dramatic antics of Hikari were entertaining to watch for the most part, but there was a certain point where things just got annoying.

"I was only joking around, Hikari-chan. The same way you were joking around about him last week."

Hikari gave a tired sigh as she felt the shame that, along with the crying and regret, had become normal for her in recent times. She remembered how during the previous week before Sunday, the pier, or Ayano, how she made jokes about Takeru's feelings for her. She didn't say any of them to his face, because she knew how earnest he was about who he gave his heart to, and Hikari wisely thought that he might have taken her joking to be cruel. She never meant her joking to be hurtful, she mostly used it just to make things seem a bit less serious between the two of them, but she was starting to wish that she hadn't gone that route when she remembered how one of the jokes that she told had made light to the girls in class about how Takeru's feelings for her were only puppy love, and how it suited him seeing as he cute like a little puppy.

Daisuke had confronted her that day, telling her off, saying that Takeru wasn't her lap dog that she could just play with whenever she wanted. She remembered being defensive to that, and telling him that he had no right to talk to her about her business with Takeru, and Daisuke had just looked at her with slight disgust telling her in return that she had no right to play with Takeru's heart. She responded by telling him that her relationship with Takeru was their own private business seeing as they were best friends, and Daisuke simply scoffed when he walked away and told her that if she truly was Takeru's best friend, that she should act like one. All that was the previous week, happening the previous Thursday, and when Takeru hadn't shown up for school the next day, Hikari knew that Daisuke had told him about what she had said. That was the reason that she went to the pier with him on Saturday, thinking that it might have done them good to clear things up and not give him the wrong idea, though she was glad that he hadn't brought it up, considering how the week had gone.

"He doesn't want to talk to me," Hikari gave a long pause while she glanced around the room, her eyes subconsciously resting on Ayano. "I think he likes someone else."

Ume didn't have to follow Hikari's eyes for what she said next.

"You mean, Ayano-chan?"

An angry look came across Hikari's face once again upon hearing the name of the girl she had quickly grown to hate, and once more gave another glare to Ume.

"How did you know?"

Ume, annoyed at the way Hikari was angry over a boy that she had rejected, publicly no less, frowned. In her opinion, Hikari could be such a drama queen. At least when things concerned Takeru, anyways.

"You know how big of a gossip Goro-kun is. He's been telling everyone about how Ayano-chan and Takeru-kun went to the pier for a romantic first date."

Hikari's eyes once again found Ayano, this time on purpose, and she shot daggers at the pretty artist girl. Hikari hated how elegant, and ironically angelic, Ayano looked as she was seated beside a window as the light, again ironically, shone brightly on her. Knowing that people were under the assumption that Takeru had been at the pier on Saturday for a romantic date with the artist left Hikari feeling bitter, because Takeru had been at the pier confessing his love to her again, not confessing his love to some random girl who didn't deserve him. Looking at where the girl who was stealing Takeru was sitting, Hikari's hatred now spread to the boy Goro, who was seated by Ayano's side, because it was his fault that people thought that Takeru was involved with the artist. Hikari closed her eyes at the previous thing to cross her mind, because it wasn't Goro's fault that people thought that Takeru was involved with Ayano, but instead it was Goro's fault that people _knew_ that Takeru was involved with Ayano.

Hikari stood up to her own, and Ume's surprise, and picked up her belongings as she began to walk towards Takeru. She heard some girls whispering, signs of future gossip, and Hikari inwardly sighed knowing that many eyes were now watching her. It was embarrassing the way that she was being ogled at like some kind of strange creature, like a character in some teen drama television show, and Hikari was especially embarrassed at the way that her classmates were able to watch as she basically crawled back to Takeru after publicly casting him away from her in a grand spectacle.

As she was now standing at Takeru's desk, she felt the shame and embarrassment in a much more miniscule scale than he did, and Hikari hated herself knowing that she had made Takeru go through so much more. He looked at her warily with cautious eyes, and with that Hikari missed the times when all he had to look at her with were eyes that only contained a carefree affection; eyes that loved her.

"Can I sit with you today?"

Takeru's face held an odd look of surprise, the way that Hikari was holding herself seemed to imply that she felt very self-conscious at the moment, and he took a glance at the empty seat beside him, before once again looking at the brunette who had seemed to lose the quiet confidence that she had always seemed to have; the confidence that had always illuminated from her.

"That's Daisuke's seat."

Nervously grabbing on tighter to her bag and her books, Hikari looked to her feet. She knew that Daisuke had skipped school to try a new ramen shop that was opening in Tokyo, and she figured that Takeru was aware of this fact as well seeing as he now spent most of his time with their brave and bold leader. In a move that surprised all the Chosen Children, Daisuke was the one who came to Takeru's aid when he was crestfallen about the rejections from Hikari; standing firm as a true companion when he felt like he couldn't take the pain anymore. Hikari kept looking at her feet knowing that Takeru didn't want her to be by his side, and her eyes were tearing up since Daisuke had been a truer friend to his rival by helping to ease the wounds that she had caused. Wounds that nobody around them, friends or brothers, ever thought that she would give to Takeru.

"Please, Keru."

Takeru sighed as he looked at how nervous Hikari was just asking to sit with him, and his eyes softened seeing that she just wanted to be friends with him again. She had put him through an emotional roller coaster already, and Takeru knew that if he allowed Hikari to sit beside him, that she would put him through another one. If he gave her even an inch she would take a foot, that being the weakness of their relationship, and Takeru knew that he couldn't let her get that much control over him; not again.

"Just go sit with Ume-chan. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Hikari lifted her eyes to Takeru's when he told her to leave, and as she was about to leave, she couldn't because if she did she knew she would lose even more of Takeru then she had already. She looked at him, seeing how uncertain he was, and decided that she would stand her ground. What she was about to say made her feel almost silly, it wasn't something that normal people would ever utter in a school setting with talkative gays and teenage girls watching, but it was something that she went through with regardless.

"What I want is to be with you."

Truth be told, Takeru wasn't sure how to react to that. For a second he almost thought that Hikari had meant that she wanted to be with him in the romantic sense, and it wasn't until he reminded himself that all she wanted from him was friendship, on account of all the times that she had made that very clear in no uncertain terms. He knew she felt guilty about breaking his heart, bruising his pride and ego, and that she was only trying to appease him to hang out with him again. Hikari had never taken his emotions seriously, he could live with that, though he was hurt at the way she pretended things were different than they really were; and it was a realization that the emotions he had were just something that Hikari liked to poke fun at in order to amuse herself. Taking a glance to the left of the room he saw Ayano sitting with her best friend Goro, whispering about and being too obvious in the fact that they weren't looking back at him, and he felt kind of glad that maybe there might be at least one person who actually respected his feelings. Takeru took another glance, except this one focused on Hikari, and as he saw that she looked like she was about to cry, he nodded his head to her and watched as she placed her belongings on Daisuke's desk and sat down.

As Hikari was about to say something to the blonde she was now seated next to, the teacher came into the room apologizing for being late. As he began to take roll he noticed, as the rest of the class had as well, that Hikari was now seated with Takeru once again. The teacher was about to say something, as was his duty, but stopped and decided to let it go for the day seeing as the Hikari seemed to be on the brink of tears. He sighed as he began class; relationships were not so difficult back in his day.

They spent the class period in silence, because Hikari was too scared to start the conversation with Takeru, and Takeru was being too cautious to begin it himself. It seemed like a waste of a day to Hikari when the bell signaling lunch rang, and when the students in class began packing up their things and heading out the door, some of the girls she had never really been friends with whispering things about her as they went, and she watched as Takeru packed his own belongings slowly. Making sure to pack her things at the same pace, she looked up at the door, and frowned upon seeing Ayano waiting just outside of the classroom.

Takeru stood up and began to move towards the classroom door, with Hikari walking shyly behind him, and greeted Ayano when he reached it. He smiled at the girl that he, according to certain things that were being whispered around, had apparently gone on a romantic date with. It wasn't as if he minded, Ayano being cute and nice enough for him to maybe be interested in, and he felt like it might do him so good to possibly consider that option. Though, he decided that if he was going to do anything that it would have to wait until later, for Hikari's sake who was just behind him, and thinking about her made him feel guilty, because even though he could see himself liking Ayano, he was still in love with the girl who kept breaking his heart. Takeru turned to Hikari and sighed feeling himself pathetic for still clinging onto the hope that she might fall for him as much as he had for her, especially since things would be so much easier that way. He shook the foolish thoughts out of his mind; he would always belong to Hikari, but she would never belong to him.

"Do you want to talk in private?"

For the first time in days Hikari genuinely smiled.

"Yeah."

Seeing Takeru nod at her, Hikari continued to smile, but stopped when she saw him turn back to Ayano as if he was silently asking permission if he could go. She began to frown, because she too turned to Ayano, only to see the artist girl smiling beautifully at her Takeru. Ayano was a polite girl smiling at everyone she greeted, but Hikari noticed the smile she gave Takeru was a different smile than the daily ones that she gave to anyone else, save for Goro of course. It was a smile of truth that she Ayano giving to Takeru, and began wondering if this kind of smile was one that could only be shared with a lover, or future one at that. She had seen that smile before, it was a smile she had seen Sora give Yamato, it was a smile that her own brother had on his face whenever he watched Sora and Yamato from afar, it was the secret type of smile she had noticed Ken and Miyako beginning to share with each other, it was a smile she had seen Mimi quietly give Koushiro at get-togethers regardless of the fact that she had a boyfriend at the time, it was a smile she had seen Takeru give herself on more than occasion even after she had rejected him, it was a smile she refused to acknowledge when it came from him, and it was a smile that broke her heart when it disappeared from his face.

Hikari hated what was happening before her eyes, and knew that every second that her Takeru spent in the presence of this girl, that he would begin to drift away from her; slowly but painfully. The tears that she had been holding began to shed when she saw the way that Takeru was looking at the pretty artist. He had a smile on his face that seemed to scream and yet be silent at the same time, and his eyes held what could only be affection as he was looking at Ayano, and Hikari whimpered when she thought she saw love in them.

Hearing his best friend's whimper Takeru waved his goodbye to Ayano, and grabbed Hikari by the hand as he took to the staircase in the middle of the hall so they could speak in private. Seeing as they were alone, Takeru began to wipe the tears from her face, and held her hand tenderly, surprising the both of them with how gentle he was acting. His breathing slowed as he contemplated kissing her hand, it was dorky but something that might have cheered her up, but Takeru shook the foolish thought out of his mind; she didn't want him.

"What's wrong, Hikari-chan?"

When this was said Takeru sighed and Hikari sniffled, both tired of asking each other that question that had become so common between them. Hikari tired of the way that Takeru now addressed her as well.

"Are you still in love with me?"

Takeru, letting his hand fall away from Hikari's, leaned on a wall in the staircase and slid down to sit on the floor; Hikari followed his lead.

"Please don't ask me that."

They were silent for a moment, with Hikari wishing that Takeru would hold her hand again, and said blonde wishing that the brunette would stop yanking his heart in different directions.

"Please just tell me."

More silence passed between the two friends, and Takeru silently wished that he knew what to say, or what Yamato would, in his current situation. Yamato had always been so closed off letting few within his barriers of caring, always scared of getting hurt, and it was at this moment that Takeru wished that he had done the same to Hikari before he started caring about her the way that he did. It was a foolish mistake that his brother would have never made, and Takeru just thought that things would have been easier had he been more like the Ishida side of his family.

"You can't just fall out of love with someone."

Satisfied with his answer the way Takeru had hoped, Hikari positioned herself closer to the blonde, and leaned into him, laying her head on his shoulder. She felt him grab her hand again and she smiled. It was the kind of smile that only lovers share.

"And Ayano-chan?"

Feeling her being so close to him after being so far away from her for so long, four whole days in fact which must have been a record for them, Takeru's heart rate raced faster than ever before, the whole time him falling deeper and deeper in love with the girl who kept rejecting him.

"She's a sweet girl, but," Takeru stopped himself and considered putting it all on the line again for a fourth time. He knew that she didn't want him, that she didn't love him, but when she acted in the way she currently was, Takeru could throw away his better intuition and let his hope take over. He closed his eyes and tightened his hand around Hikari's wishing that he was as strong as his brother. "but she's not you Hikari."

Takeru felt reassured feeling Hikari squeeze his hand, and with that they sat quietly for twenty minutes, letting their lunch just pass them by, simply enjoying being with the other. One thing that was tugging at the back of his mind though, was that Hikari only started acting strangely about everything when Ayano came into the picture. His face was a stern one while thinking about if she truly wanted him or only wanted him to be in love with her. He feared it was the latter, and felt that it wasn't fair that Hikari would have someone to love her, while he in return would have nothing.

"When I asked you if there was even a chance of you ever loving me you didn't answer me. I want an answer, Hikari."

She wished that Takeru wouldn't ruin the moment like he just did, but it was too late for that since he wanted to know how she felt about the possibility of love between them. She knew that if she did get involved with him, that he would always be faithful and never let her down; Takeru having only done that after she had done worse to him. The way Takeru spoke with her, and looked at her, was like if she was this perfect person, and it made Hikari wish that she saw him in the same light. She knew that she wasn't perfect, if she was then she wouldn't have wounded the boy that loved her so badly, but she in turn had no idea what perfection was, and until she knew, she couldn't love Takeru.

"I don't know."

Her eyes were about to well up with tears as she felt Takeru loosen his grip, but stopped when she felt him tighten it once more. His grip was fluctuating, like the sound one hears in a cave, or the light that draws in the insects, and she didn't know what to think. She did feel something though, and like that cave or light, or Takeru's grip, what she felt was fluctuating; nervousness, and broken pride.

"I have to know Hikari, I can't not know."

She wanted him to be in love with her and her alone, but she knew that he wanted more than that, more then she was willing to give him.

"There's no chance, Takeru."

With this Takeru sadly knew that he was correct when he thought that she wanted him to want her, but didn't want him in return. He cursed in French, or at least he thought it was a French curse word anyways, as he slowly let his grip from Hikari's hand fall, and turned to her when he felt her lift her head off his shoulder. He met her eyes that were almost crying, and was surprised that he himself was not in the same state. Takeru genuinely smiled knowing that he had run out of tears to shed for the brunette, his comrade in arms, and promised himself that he would never cry over her again. He almost laughed with joy knowing that his days as a fool controlled by feelings just as foolish were over, and his broken heart was finally going to begin mending knowing that there was another girl who quite possibly wanted his love, or for a more casual way of saying it, his attention, for reasons that were unselfish. Takeru was proud of himself because at last he wasn't the fool, at last Hikari did not own him.

"Maybe someday."

Takeru shook his head slightly as Hikari now made a grab for his hand after hearing her say that there was no chance she would ever be in love with him, and then immediately afterward saying that maybe someday she could have that sort of affection for him in her heart. It had taken her a few seconds of Takeru not being her emotional slave for her to contradict herself, and Takeru felt a tiny hope light up inside him almost believing her words until he consciously snuffed out the thought; she only wanted to be his master, he being her toy and nothing more.

He stood up, lifting Hikari up with him, and even though he had just swore to himself that he would finally give her up, he couldn't help but still feel a fondness for the girl. He had risked and almost lost his life for her so many times, one could ever forget that, and he hugged her and kissed her cheek.

"No matter what Hikari-chan, you will always be my favorite."

As he stood there holding her, lying to her, his mind drifted to old memories of her hurting him so that he wouldn't feel as guilty about the way Hikari was now crying on him, wetting his shirt instead of it being the other way around. He knew why she was crying, and she knew that he was lying when he said she would always be his favorite. Hikari could tell when he wasn't telling the truth, and she had a feeling that maybe Takeru was moving on for real.

Hikari cried on him until the bell signaling the end of lunch rang, and Takeru still held onto her soothing her, and wiping away her tears. After everything she had put him through he was still by her side, after stomping on his heart so many times he was still there for her trying to make her happy. She hated that she couldn't return the favor of making him happy, and she hated the way that she felt as if she had somehow lost Takeru's heart.

Hearing the door to the stairwell open the two teens left the hug they were in to see an Ayano, with Goro standing just behind, give a polite yet intruding smile. Hikari despised the way Takeru stood up and left her to make his way to the artist who didn't deserve him, and she couldn't help but also despise the way they were now smiling at each other; they were smiles that she recognized.

Hikari saw Takeru focus his attention on her before nodding his goodbye, and before he gently grabbed Ayano by the arm and led her out the door. Hikari stood there not knowing what to do as she watched Ayano, her enemy, leave with the boy that had now four times let her know that he was in love with her. Hikari let out a frustrated grunt accompanied by fast tears that would be the last she shed in school that day, and while wiping off said tears she decided that she would simply ditch school without finishing the day; she couldn't be in the same room with Takeru, let alone the person who was trying to steal him away from her.

She saw the way that Ayano looked at Takeru like if he was some perfect person, and Hikari knew that even though he wasn't, that he was as close to perfection as a person could get. Hikari wanted Takeru to love her again, and she knew that slowly she was loving him in return, but she wondered if it was too late for that. She had said no so many times, played with his heart so many times, she had not taken the chance she wanted to the many times it presented itself, and now there was quite possibly somebody else.

She hated Ayano, and she hated the way Takeru seemed to be quite fond of the girl. She hated that Ayano had caught his eye at the pier, and she hated that they now seemed to be in some sort of whirlwind romance. She hated herself for turning down Takeru's many advances, and she hated the fact that barely at the moment of all this hatred that she realized that she was in love with the boy she had just told she could never return his feelings. She hated Ayano, the girl who had ruined her life.

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><p>As I said earlier, I did have a doctor's appointment and I did wish for luck. Everything came out fine and dandy, but regardless I would still like to thank everyone who wished me huzzah.<p> 


	4. Hate Floats

I continued on with the cleaning, and this chapter went through some major changes. This was the first Daisuke chapter, and the original was very short. Only about 1,700 words longs. This time around I got the words to be a little under 3,000. That's pretty much double the length.

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon. Go watch the Matrix.

**Edit: 7/5/12 Came and revised a bit. Will continue to do so for later chapters. Cleaning up grammar mistakes, and certain wording or phrasing that I've come to not really like all that much. Just minor changes, nothing too serious. Just trying to improve the writing style, and experience for the reader.**

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><p>The car ride to Urayasu, the city where Takeru's travel basketball team was supposed to be playing their last game of the year, was an awkward one for the Chosen Children. Few words were said, even fewer being genuine or well-meant, and the tension was mostly stemming from the way that Daisuke made no effort to hide the fact that he thought that Hikari should not have gone with them. None of the older Chosen Children were there, all being busy with work and college, or those being the excuses that they decided to use anyways, but all of the younger ones had decided that it would be fun to head out and support Takeru for his last big hurrah of the year. Hence the reason that they were all sitting in the rather small car that belonged to Ken's mother; even though certain persons would have preferred if certain others had decided not to go.<p>

Ken was the one who was driving, his mother letting it be no other way, with Miyako at his side in the passenger seat, and in the back was where Daisuke, Iori, and Hikari were sitting, in that order from left to right. Daisuke, doing something that his younger and more lovelorn self would have never done, had actually requested that Iori sat in between him and Hikari, particularly for the reason of not wanting to have to talk to her. It had been years since Daisuke had had feelings for Hikari, and even then when she rejected him he held no ill will for the girl despite his sadness for being turned down. However, Daisuke had become very uncomfortable, disgusted even, with the way that Hikari had so easily betrayed Takeru's trust. She had laughed about him in casual passing to other schoolgirls, she had mocked Takeru behind his back for the way that he had bore his soul to her, and it was something that made Daisuke wonder if Hikari had ever done the same with him. The de facto leader of the younger group of Chosen Children knew that Hikari's rejections of their blonde friend had hurt him deeply because he had been there for him in private, consoling the boy and trying to think of ways to make him not feel so worthless. In his opinion, Takeru had taken the rejections harder than he should have, more than was worth for Taichi's sister, but he understood how Takeru reacted when he was forced to tell him about what Hikari had been saying behind his back; it had destroyed him.

"Maybe we should have come in a different car? It's going to be cramped with Takeru in here on the way back."

Daisuke was looking out the window of the seat he was in, watching as they passed car after car, watching as they passed people in love, and people with broken hearts. His eyes were kept on the outside, every now and again catching glances with a stranger as they passed them, but he couldn't help but listen to all the sounds that were bouncing around the interior of Ken's mother's car. He had heard Hikari break the silence with asking a question about later transportation, Iori awkwardly shifting in his seat over and over again, Ken humming a song to himself pretending not to be aware of all the tension in the car, and Miyako scoff at the mention of Takeru's name. The last sound of which reminded Daisuke of those far away days when he himself didn't like Takeru all that much.

He wasn't sure when it had happened, one day they had been rivals, fierce in his opinion, and it seemed like just the next day they were friends. Friends, Daisuke thought, didn't treat each other the way Hikari had treated her supposed best one, and he still had a hard time believing how she so easily tossed aside Takeru's heart. It was thinking about all of this that made him glad that the Chosen Child of light had spurned his advances, because now he could, and was, helping Takeru move away from a spot, a darkness, that nobody deserved to be in; he had experience in the matter. So, despite their shaky past and in spite of their candidly uncertain future, Daisuke decided that he would be there for Takeru; however he was needed.

"Takeru-kun's not coming with us on the way back. After we go eat he's leaving in a different car."

He turned and glanced at Miyako who had spoken, and he couldn't help but catch that there was a sort of quiet disdain in her voice. It was almost like a silent indignation, as if it was being held back while waiting for approval, and his eyes moved from Miyako to Hikari to see if the younger teen was somehow going to give it. He stared at her, something that Iori pretended not to notice, and he saw Hikari nervously readjust herself in her seat as she asked Miyako another question.

"Who's going to give him a ride?"

Daisuke went back to watching what was going on outside the window of the car, and he hoped that doing so would help him to ignore Hikari. She was a good comrade, in a fight at least, but it seemed to him that lately Hikari was fickle, especially when concerning Takeru. She didn't take the blonde boy's emotions seriously and brushed him aside like it was nothing, but what struck Daisuke as odd were the rumors he had heard about Hikari being jealous of Takeru's new apparent love interest. He knew from experience that Ume was not the most reputable person to get information from, having sat next to the chubby girl for most of the year, but after hearing what she had to say, Daisuke thought it quite possible that this rumor had a good chance of being true. He hoped for Takeru's sake that it wasn't true, because he knew that if Hikari let on that she even liked Takeru in the most basic sense of the word, that he would give up everything just for that miniscule chance to be with her. Takeru had already given up his pride, the most precious thing to a man whether Japanese or otherwise, and Daisuke refused to allow Takeru to give up an opportunity to make it with a girl that wasn't Hikari; to give up his chance to be happy.

"He's leaving with Ayano-chan? Can you believe that?"

Feeling Iori fidget beside him, the sensation being something that he had already gotten used to, Daisuke felt the need to move as well, and took off his goggles which he still wore after all these years. He had barely been a kid when he had first gotten them, stubbornly wearing them into his adolescence and approaching manhood, but this whole awkward business with his two friends made him start to think that it was about time that he hung them up on his mantle. They felt tainted, knowing that they belonged to Hikari's brother; she had ruined even that.

"Her? Are you serious, Miyako-san?"

Miyako scoffed again, but what Daisuke payed more attention to was the change in Hikari's inflection when she found out that Takeru was going to be leaving with Ayano after everyone was finished eating. He now knew for a fact that Ume's rumor was the truth, a rare thing for the chubby girl who had a penchant for annoying exaggeration, and made a note in his mind to thank the girl later when he had a chance. Knowing this information could help him to guide Takeru in the right direction; the one that didn't point to Yagami Hikari.

"Don't worry about it Hikari-chan, Takeru-kun will come to his senses soon enough."

It was Daisuke who scoffed this time, surprised and yet not surprised that Miyako shared Hikari's dislike of Ayano. Maybe it was a girl thing that they stood by each others sides no matter how flawed they were, or maybe it was because Miyako, like so many others, had believed that Takeru and Hikari were perfect for each other.

"Is there something you want to say Daisuke-kun?"

He looked up at the rear-view mirror to see that Miyako was angrily looking at him through the reflection, and he then moved his eyes and noticed that Hikari was glaring at him as well. They were challenging him, daring him to take back his apparent displeasure, but it was something that he refused to do. He was the Chosen Child of courage and friendship, the latter of which he seemed to think was a trait that Hikari lacked.

"The day Takeru comes to his senses, is the day he finally gives up on Hikari-chan."

The car became silent, nothing being heard except the buzzing of the road, and he felt Iori fidget beside him even more nervously then he had before. It was not lost on anyone the way that he had addressed Takeru without any honorifics, and Daisuke upon thinking about it felt that it was right. Takeru was his rival, his friend, his comrade-in-arms; Takeru was his brother.

"Excuse me?"

Ken coughed loudly purposely getting everyone's attention focused on him. Personally he wasn't a fan of drama, especially after he finally settled all the conflict that he was involved with during his Kaiser days, and he felt it as almost his duty to stop the fighting. He empathized with Daisuke and Takeru, but he also sympathized with Hikari knowing that she was not the villain that Daisuke had painted her as when he had come to him for advice in helping Takeru.

"Maybe this is something that needs to be discussed in private instead of in a car full of people who it doesn't concern?"

Miyako seemed to silently agree with Ken as she slumped back down into her seat, for the moment not going pursuing further confrontation with Daisuke, and Hikari seemed to do the same as she let the anger fade from her face and simply began to look out the window. Ken forced a smile, as did Iori, because while the air was still more tense then they would have liked, they were still glad that nothing regrettable was going to be said in their presence. However, Daisuke refused to have any of it, and decided that he would once again get what he was thinking off of his mind. Someone had crossed a line in the sand, though he wasn't sure if it was Hikari or himself, but to him it really didn't matter anymore; too many things had already gone down, too many hearts broken.

"The second that Hikari-chan made a fool of Takeru, was when it started concerning us. She makes him feel like shit while she tugs on his emotions, and we're supposed to ignore that? That's bullshit Ken, and you know it."

Ken sighed, wishing that he had just kept to humming his song. He had made a point of not being a person of conflict or drama, preferring to not even watch television shows that were mainly about those things, and he hated that he was even slightly involved in this whole Takeru/Hikari thing. Like Daisuke had said, it was bullshit, but he was at least relieved when he didn't have to add on to that shit pile when he heard Hikari speak.

"Don't pretend that you know anything about my relationship with Takeru."

With their eyes meeting each other, Daisuke wondered where all the companionship between the Chosen Children had gone. Perhaps it disappeared as they had gotten older, and as some had started to fall in love with others. Maybe it was companionship that could only be felt during times of battle, when lives were at stake, but Daisuke disregarded that already knowing it to be false. Maybe it was Takeru's fault that it was gone, because it was him that fell in love with a girl that would never want him like that. Maybe it was Hikari's fault for not knowing what exactly she desired, all the while leading Takeru on giving him hope for something she wasn't sure she could do. Daisuke wasn't even sure if he had the right to judge anybody, thinking that maybe it wasn't anybody's fault but his own. He was their leader; he was supposed to prevent this.

"Then don't pretend that him moving on isn't what's best for him."

Daisuke's eyes softened while Hikari went silent for a moment. Neither of them wanted to fight the other, and neither of them wanted Takeru to be any more hurt then he already had been. Daisuke felt almost guilty when he noticed tears forming in Hikari's eyes.

"I might feel the same about him."

It had sounded almost sincere to him, but Daisuke had a nagging thought that Hikari was just trying to justify her own feelings or actions. He couldn't be sure about things though. Maybe she was just jealous and wanted Takeru's attention solely focused on her because of some sort of misplaced vanity, or maybe she was telling the truth when she said that she might have returned their blonde friend's feelings. Daisuke had never been a cynic, that being a path that he wanted to avoid for himself, but it was hard for him concerning the situation. He stared on at Hikari, hoping that he was wrong.

"That's not fair, Hikari-chan."

The brunette turned her head away from everyone in the car, and trying to hide her tears she began looking out the window of the moving car; just as she had so many times in that day already. Daisuke was making her out to be a villain, a bitch among the bitches, and it was something that she didn't really know how to handle. She was conflicted, she knew that she had done wrong by certain people, by Takeru, but she didn't think that she had ever acted out of malice. Confusion maybe, in rashness of course, but she had never wanted to hurt anybody.

"You're an ass, Daisuke."

Miyako began glaring at Daisuke again, dirty looks becoming easier for her to give him more and more, and for a second she actually hated her formerly goggled comrade. She would be the first to admit that Hikari wasn't perfect and that she had messed up, but Daisuke had no right to make the girl cry. She would have lectured him, or blown up in his face, but Miyako lessened her scowl and put her attention back on Hikari for the moment; she wanted to make sure that her friend was alright.

"Are you okay, Hikari-chan?"

The girl in question nodded her head as she wiped the tears away from her face, and she looked to Miyako and forced a smile for everyone to see. Said smile being only one of the many fake ones that had already graced their car ride. She felt like a liar almost, she felt like she was being lied to, and it was something that Hikari hated. Things didn't used to be the way that they now were, tensions and falsehoods becoming a regular part of the way that the Chosen Children interacted with each other, and it was something that made the girl wish that the simpler days of simpler friendships had never passed them by. As everyone, save Ken who was driving, quietly watched her, as she returned their looks of uneasiness and wariness, Hikari felt that the only thing that she could do at the moment was tell the truth. Her conscience would allow her nothing else.

"I just want Takeru to be happy."

He didn't want to be a cynic, he never wanted to become that jaded, and there was something that touched Daisuke's heart as he heard at least a tiny bit of sincerity in Hikari's words. He wondered on why things had to end up so complicated all of the time, on why things couldn't be easier or brighter, and it was something that had come to eat away from him as he had to watch distrust begin to weave its way into his group of friends. He was unsure if hoping that Takeru moved on to a new girl, Ayano or otherwise, was the right thing to do on account of the way that this Hikari thing had gone down, but it was the only possibility that he saw for a better future. Personally, he thought that things were probably better for Takeru without a girl, but then Daisuke sure if Takeru would be able to forget Hikari that way. He had felt that he had failed someone, Daisuke turned his head and began looking out the window for the last time in the car ride. He was watching people, wondering who were in love, and who among them had broken hearts. Daisuke frowned when he also wondered if Hikari was now part of the latter.

"We all do Hikari-chan, we all do."

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><p>This chapter had been embarrassingly short. I'm glad I fixed it up.<p> 


	5. The Girl with the Botticelli Eyes

So this is the first Ayano chapter that I wrote, and yeah I apologized to anyone who didn't want to see a heavy OC chapter. I stand by that since fan fiction should be about the characters in the original work for the most part, and I think that it still should be. OCs are best if used as plot devices in my opinion.

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon. Also, listen to David Bowie. I fucking love him.

**Edit: 7/6/12 Came and revised a bit. Will continue to do so for later chapters. Cleaning up grammar mistakes, and certain wording or phrasing that I've come to not really like all that much. Just minor changes, nothing too serious. Just trying to improve the writing style, and experience for the reader.**

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><p>Ayano was not a fan of basketball, she never had been always preferring the finer arts over sports, but she enjoyed the sight of Takeru being in his element, or basically anything as long as it had to do with him. Takeru's basketball team was victorious against another team whose name was inconsequential to her, and she couldn't help but grin when she saw him begin to run in her direction. She hoped that he wasn't running toward Hikari, who despite not saying a single word to her that night had sat beside her the entire game, but when she felt him pick her up and hug her, she hoped that from then on that Takeru would only ever run to her.<p>

He set her down, and she watched as he let out a shout of jubilation at just winning the final game that his team would play that year. Although she had ever really understood what the big deal with sports were, to be honest she thought that they were for the most part a waste of time, she smiled seeing the value of it if it could make someone like Takeru feel so happy. However, she herself was secretly happy when Takeru had earlier mentioned to her that he enjoyed writing, because she didn't think she could justify introducing a meathead basketball player to her parents.

She had surprised herself during the game because of the way she had cheered so loudly for Takeru instead of remaining in her usual reserved demeanor. Truth be told, Hikari was the reason that she had been screaming so loudly, because every time she heard the girl scream Takeru's name, Ayano made sure that she would scream it even louder, not wanting to be shown up by her. She wasn't stupid, and she understood that Takeru still had feelings for his best friend, but Ayano felt that Hikari had already made her decision clear, and that it was time that Takeru moved on. She was unsure of what to call her current situation with Takeru, having already gone on a handful of casual almost dates, but she knew that as long Hikari stood in their way, that there was little chance that he would ever initiate a more romantic relationship with her. She had seen how broken he was after he was rejected on Valentine's day, everyone had seen, and Ayano knew that he didn't deserve that; that he deserved a better person than Hikari was.

She took a quick glance at the girl in question, and wrinkled her nose thinking of the things that she had heard about her. Goro was fond of telling many rumors, gossip and drama being something that he enjoyed to watch and initiate, but to her knowledge he had never lied to her. According to him, Hikari was jealous of all the time that she had been spending with Takeru, and upon remembering the scene that the girl made at the ramen shop, Ayano knew this to be true. She had heard from Goro, who had heard from Ume, about how Hikari mocked his feelings behind his back, and she had been there herself, as was the rest of their class, and watched as Hikari had shamed Takeru when the girl requested a seating change without even having the courtesy to ask the teacher that in private. As she still felt Takeru slightly holding her, his grip lessening by the second, she wondered how someone like him could ever fall for Hikari.

Ayano watched her, and she didn't like the way that Hikari was looking lovingly at Takeru, not seeming to notice all the celebration around them, focusing all her attention only on him. It was not something she enjoyed, but Ayano would not have minded it as much if Takeru wasn't returning the look. As she watched the look of longing he returned in Hikari's direction, it being a sort of pained one, Ayano was stung a little as it reminded her that she was only Takeru's rebound. All the important men in her life: her father, Goro, her brother, and her lifelong chauffeur who was like an uncle to her, had always told her that she deserved a boy who could give her the world, but as Ayano watched Takeru, she knew that he couldn't even give her the entirety of himself. The world, to him at least, was Hikari.

It was watching Hikari smile at him, feeling Takeru's grip on her loosening ever so slightly at that smile, and it worked to hammer in the fact that, at the moment anyways, she was much much less important to him than Yagami Hikari was. It was something that made her decide that if Takeru didn't take the initiative to make their relationship more serious than a few offhand meetings to eat some ramen or just walk around, that she would take it instead. Ayano tightened her hold on Takeru, and in a way that ignored all the manners she was raised with, she grunted which got his attention focused back on her. Takeru was about to say something, maybe make a comment about the awkward way they were still holding onto each other, but instead his eyes widened when he felt her kiss him. Ayano, again in a way that ignored the manners that were instilled in her, felt giddy when she felt him kiss her back.

She felt Goro's, who had accompanied her to the game so that she would have at least one person to talk to, and Takeru's friends eyes all over her and said blonde. Preferably, she would be doing something like kissing Takeru, or more so if things worked out with him, in private where there would be nobody else to see them, but she felt that she had to make a point. Whether that point was supposed to be received by Takeru or Hikari she wasn't sure, but guiltily, and unsurprisingly, there was a bit of small pleasure when among all the surprised glances from the company they were in, she sensed what could only be glare coming from Hikari. Takeru wasn't the best kisser around, she assumed that it was due to lack of experience, but she was glad that he had at least kissed her back. She felt like breathing as hard as her heart was pumping, but Ayano made sure to not show the full extent of her excitement; a proper lady would never do so.

"Let's go already. There's going to be nowhere left to eat if we don't hurry up and leave."

She figured that Miyako, who had spoken, was agitated for more reasons than just being hungry; she seemed almost as mad as Hikari. It was something she couldn't help but notice in the two girls, annoyed and frustrated eyes, and Ayano thought for a moment as she began to focus more of her attention on Hikari. There was something that the two of them needed to get clear between them.

"I agree that it'd be best if we left now. Hikari-chan, would you like to ride with me?"

Takeru frowned, as Hikari did, when he heard Ayano's strange request. He hadn't expected the girl to kiss him, that being something that he wanted to discuss with her as soon as possible so that he could figure out what it meant. Besides, with Hikari around that conversation would be something that was both uncomfortable and difficult.

"She's coming with us?"

"No she's coming with me. You're going with your friends Takeru," Ayano's eyes slightly widened when she remembered that Goro was with her and she turned to him with an apologetic look on her face, "sorry Goro do you mind going with them too? I would prefer speaking to Hikari-chan alone."

Goro quickly checked out Ken and smiled. His night was going to be fabulous.

"Trust me Aya-chan, I don't mind."

Ken just squirmed. He felt a chill go up his spine.

"So Hikari-chan what do you say?"

Hikari exchanged a look with Miyako wondering if the older girl could somehow magically give her advice on what to do. The moment that Ayano had kissed Takeru there was an instant sadness that she felt, but also an instant rage as she was imagining all the times they had defeated evil digimon, but instead with their heads replaced by Ayano's. She felt like crying, but her anger and pride prevented it, and Hikari wondered if Ayano just wanted to rub it in her face that she had won Takeru for the moment. The thought soured quickly for Hikari though; Takeru was not a prize to be won or a game to be played, she had learned her lesson about that already.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Just girl talk."

It seemed as good enough an answer for everybody there, and after a few quick goodbyes, and a bit of standing around in discomfort, everyone split up to go about their owns for transportation. With that, Ayano held out her arm to Hikari waiting for the other girl to hook herself on. It was something that struck her as more friendly than she wanted to be with the girl, the one who she had no doubt that Takeru was still interested in, but Ayano decided that she could deal with it for the moment. She noticed the angry way that Hikari linked their arms together, as if she was the only one who didn't want to be in that situation, and Ayano hoped that she was making the right decision in being alone with a girl who obviously did not like her. Thinking back to the way this girl treated her Takeru, she decided that she did not like her that much either.

Arm in arm they walked outside of the stadium, putting on a good show just in case there was anybody to see them despite the unlikelihood of that fact, and as soon as they arrived at what was apparently Ayano's ride, the two of them let go of each other; neither wanting to touch the other girl. To Hikari's surprise the two of them walked up to a very shiny, long, and expensive looking, black car, for lack of a better word, and simply stood there as a man got out of the driver's seat and opened up one of the backseat doors so that Ayano could climb inside; he waited for Hikari to do the same. The chauffeur said nothing, and Hikari followed the lead of Takeru's maybe girlfriend. She didn't know what to make of it, but it seemed to her that her past assumptions of Ayano coming from old money were correct.

They sat in an uncomfortable silence, Ayano only inviting Hikari there to have a word with her about Takeru, and Hikari only being there so that she wouldn't look bad in front of Takeru. Ayano silently wished that she had brought Takeru with her instead of his 'best' friend, but she knew that she had to get this conversation with Hikari out of the way sometime, and it was better earlier than later. Sure, it wasn't really her place to be asking another person, practically a stranger no less, this type of question, but she felt the need to go through with it anyways; she had already done things she never thought she would that night.

"What are your intentions with Takeru?"

Hikari's eyebrows quirked at the odd question that Ayano had asked her; it seemed that when she wanted to, the artist lacked subtlety.

"He's my best friend."

Ayano sighed at hearing that Hikari was Takeru's best friend yet another time. It wasn't only the frequency of hearing said fact that bothered her, but every time she heard that they were best friends, she knew that they shared a closeness that she wouldn't be able to rival anytime soon. She knew that they shared history together, that Takeru had at least one day held a romantic affection for her, and most tragically, to her at least, that she would never be able to take away from the fact that Hikari was the first person he ever loved.

"Goro is my best friend, and I don't act with him the way you do with Takeru."

Glaring at Ayano, her enemy, she couldn't believe the way that Ayano had addressed Takeru. It was much too familiar for Hikari's taste, and it bothered her hearing another girl, especially the girl she had come to hate the most, speak of Takeru in such a way. She thought that Ayano had no right addressing him like that because she didn't even know him, she didn't know who he was, or how much he had already accomplished. Not even the other Chosen Children, with the exception of his brother and Mimi who in an Americanized fashion refused to use honorifics, also more recently Daisuke, referred to Takeru in such a friendly manner. They, like Ayano, had not earned the right to do so; only Hikari deserved such a privilege.

"Takeru and I are going through a rough patch right now. It's complicated."

Feeling a twinge of insecurity, Ayano grabbed onto the end of her long her and wondered if Takeru had only gone after her because she was a brunette, because her hair color matched exactly with Hikari's. It wouldn't be that far fetched, wouldn't be the first time that a guy had shown interest in her because she reminded him of an ex-girlfriend. Though, she expected at least, that Takeru had more interest in her than for some quick sex which would end awkwardly when he said the wrong name. In any case, that was a situation that she was in no hurry to go through again.

"Takeru is in love with you, I'm not a fool Hikari-chan, but what I want to know is how do you feel about him?"

It was a question that she had been asking herself a lot recently, a question that Hikari had no idea how to answer. Takeru had been there for her whenever she had needed it, and she knew that if he ever became involved with someone, that he might not be there for her as much anymore. She wondered if had she said yes to Takeru's advances, how things would have turned out differently. Would she would be on a post-game date with him right now, instead of being in ritzy 'car' with a girl she wasn't even going to pretend to like? She pondered about if she would have been happy being with Takeru, but Hikari stopped pondering and wondering after a moment, already knowing the answer; already knowing that she had made a mistake, that she had made many mistakes.

"I love Takeru more than anything, and I admit that lately I've been jealous, but I don't know if I love him the same way he loves me."

Ayano slumped a little in her seat since she didn't like to be reminded that Takeru was in love with a girl that wasn't herself, she twiddled her hair uncomfortably while her eyes became slightly misty. She thought herself as being stupid for falling for another boy who was still clearly hung up on someone else, but she still quietly hoped that Takeru could overcome his fascination with Hikari. Once that was out of the way, if things would become like that anyways, then she would be free to be with Takeru without a nagging thought in her mind that he would have preferred someone else.

"It's not fair to him to pull him along when you don't even know how you feel about him."

Hikari began glaring at the artist, because Ayano had no right to judge her for being confused about her feelings. Any girl that had ever been unsure about how to handle a relationship, or had been in her shoes, knew how difficult a situation like the one she had with Takeru could get. She knew that he deserved to be with someone that could make him happy, but she hated being treated as if she was the bad guy for not knowing how to deal with all these strange feelings. She had made mistakes that had greatly damaged her relationship with Takeru, but she knew that he had already forgiven her for those mistakes, and she wished that other people wouldn't keep throwing said mistakes back in her face. Especially some stranger who would never comprehend the complexity she shared with Takeru.

"You think you're better than me, don't you?"

Ayano straightened out her skirt not wanting to look unbecoming even though she was only in Hikari's presence, though maybe she had done that especially because she was with her, and she looked the other girl in her eyes. She wanted Hikari to know that she was there to stay, that the girl was right if she felt threatened by her, and Ayano gave a proud look to Hikari; she was prepared for anything that might happen.

"I think that I'm better for Takeru than you are."

Instead of the rage that Ayano expected Hikari to show, she saw the girl begin to cry, and was surprised even more when Hikari latched onto her. Ayano could barely make out what she whimpered next.

"I think so too."

The 'car' began driving away, and as Ayano comforted the girl she wasn't very fond of, she didn't really know what to do. She wondered how Hikari would explain to everyone else why she had been crying, if anybody lacked the tact to simply avoid asking that, and she wondered if Takeru would ever make her cry the same way he had Hikari. Ayano patted the other girl on the back, and in a very unladylike way, she began to want to let tears out herself. Thinking about Takeru and Hikari reminded her that they had something that she wouldn't have with him anytime soon; that Takeru was in love with someone else.

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><p>Yup, going to continue on with my cleaning. My suggestion if you're going to look up David Bowie, listen to Space Oddity first. That's the song that got me into him.<p> 


	6. Pomp and Circuitry

This was a short chapter the first time around, but this time it became much longer. Originally, it was a heavy Natsuko chapter, but now that is even more of the case. I expanded quite a bit from her point of view, and I'm glad that I did so. Anyways, I shall go continue on this journey. As should you.

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon.

**Edit: 7/22/12 Came and revised a bit. Will continue to do so for later chapters. Cleaning up grammar mistakes, and certain wording or phrasing that I've come to not really like all that much. Just minor changes, nothing too serious. Just trying to improve the writing style, and experience for the reader.**

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><p>Takeru was unsure of what to think about the day that lay before him. He had no doubt that it would be at least partially awkward, this awkwardness being something that he had found to be unavoidable throughout all the scenarios that he had run through his mind, and as he looked at the envelope and the package that lay on his dresser in his room, he ran a hand through his hair since he was tired from his lack of sleep. He had spent the better part of the night trying to think of what he was going to do, and he wondered how obvious it would be to anyone else that saw the bags under his eyes. He stared at the envelope, and the package; the two gifts, and thought about the two separate girls. Takeru sighed, dreading the fact that it was already March 14th, which was unusual for him since White Day was usually a day that excited him.<p>

In spite of the Valentine's Day fiasco that Takeru had to go through the previous month, he had debated with himself the possibility of just getting Hikari chocolates instead of spending a lot of time and money searching for the 'perfect gift' as he did with most years. It had been earlier that morning, at two in the morning since he had found himself unable to sleep, when Takeru found what was now Hikari's gift; tossed somewhere in the back of his closet. He was cleaning out his room hoping to make it presentable for when he had Ayano over later, assuming she even wanted to hang out anyways, and he had frowned when he came across the object that he was now gifting to Hikari.

In truth, the package was meant to be given to the girl a long time ago, but after Takeru was rejected by Hikari he decided to hold onto it for a little bit longer. What was meant to be a short amount of time became indefinite, because following the first rejection were the ones on Valentine's Day and the one at the pier, and accompanying those rejections were Hikari avoiding him and awkwardness respectively. Looking at the package, Takeru became annoyed because he remembered how much money he had spent buying the gift for the person he thought was going to be his girlfriend. This annoyance was replaced with a bitterness knowing that he didn't care that the gift had cost him the combination of his birthday and Christmas money, but that he never had the opportunity to even give it to her. Shaking his head quickly, quickly enough where he almost decided to not give the present to Hikari, Takeru knew that he was going to hand her the boxed present later instead of the chocolate bar he had managed to take from Patamon's stash the previous night as was his first plan. For Takeru, giving Hikari the present wasn't so that it could fulfill it's original intent, but instead he simply wanted the gift to finally be out of his house. He didn't want to look at it anymore, or at the very least, he didn't want to ever stumble on it by accident again.

When he finally finished getting dressed in his uniform, him for once deciding to completely follow the dress code by surprisingly not wearing his hat, Takeru put on his backpack and grabbed the envelope and the package as he left his room. He smiled when he saw his mother typing away at the computer, all the while Patamon sitting at her side watching as she was writing. Had he been a girl he would have thought that the sight was a rather cute thing to behold, and Takeru wondered if the chubby little monster even knew how to read.

"Mom?"

Natsuko made no indication that she had heard her son other the 'hmmmm' noise she made with her pursed lips. It was an interruption to her humming one of Yamato's songs that was secretly one of her favorites, but other than that, them woman just kept on with her typing. Patamon on the other hand, turned his head and grinned wildly at his partner.

"Are you busy tonight?"

The clicks of the keyboard died down as Natsuko swiveled around in her chair so that she could be facing her son. She wondered why he wasn't wearing a hat, it was the one school rule that Takeru seemed to always break, and why it looked as if he had tried to style his hair that morning since that was more Yamato's territory than her younger son's. The wondering then became acknowledgment when she saw the gifts that her son was holding. Natsuko couldn't but smile a bit when she realized that this was about a girl, but her smile lessened as she hoped that it wasn't about Hikari.

"Was there something that you needed, Takeru?"

The boy fidgeted under his mother's gaze, it had always been something piercing and a look to which nobody could lie to with the possible exception of Hiroaki, and he could tell that she was trying to figure him out. His mother had always been smart like Ken or Koushiro, if not smarter, and Takeru would have been surprised if she didn't already somehow know what he was going to say. Feeling the package in his hand, he wished that he was as smart as his mother so that he could have avoided all the undesirable circumstances that he had been put through lately. Yamato had already inherited their father's cool demeanor, so why couldn't he have inherited their mother's intelligence? It seemed only fair.

"Actually I was wondering if I could bring someone over for dinner tonight. I want you to meet them."

Natsuko got up from her chair, and eyed her son cautiously while going over his words in her mind. From what it sounded like it seemed that Takeru had found himself a new girl to show affection to, but somehow the woman had a feeling that this new girl was little more than a rebound from the Yagami girl. As she went up to him and straightened out the collar of his shirt, she decided to test her son.

"I already know Hikari-chan."

The agitated blush she expected did not form and Natsuko was unsure of what to make of this interesting development. Before whenever Takeru was teased about Hikari by either herself or Yamato, which until recently was quite often, he would be quick to redden as he would try to make up an excuse to what he was being teased about. Now he made no indication of being bothered, in a way so much like his brother, and Natsuko hoped that her youngest son had not lost the carefree spirit that she had loved since the day he was born. She loved Yamato, he was her firstborn, but she didn't want Takeru to have the same aloofness as his brother did.

"It's not Hikari, Mom."

Natsuko stared her son in the face, watching even for the slightest hint to what he was thinking about, and then into his eyes just looking at the blue of his irises. They had always been happier than his brother's eyes, more hopeful and loving, but Natsuko was disheartened when she noticed that his eyes were starting to become more and more like Yamato's every day. She felt responsible since she had always encouraged Takeru's relationship with Hikari whether it was as friends or as Takeru wanting to be more than that, and Natsuko felt her soul fill with guilt knowing that she had pushed her son towards love, despite not knowing how to protect him from a broken heart.

"Good. You know I don't like you being around that girl anymore. At least not right now."

Takeru looked away from his mother, and he took a deep breath as he let her words about Hikari sink in. He wished that everyone would stop talking about her as if she was some sort of villain who had intentionally led him on with the goal of stomping on his heart, and with that wish he hoped that everyone would stop reminding him of the terrible time that he had gone through. Takeru didn't think that Hikari would do something like that on purpose, he had known her well enough to know that she wasn't capable of that, but lately he had stopped caring since he only wanting to move on with his life. Hikari was not the bitch that only ever wanted to hurt him as Yamato now seemed fond of saying behind Taichi's back, and neither was she a girl that according to his mother and Daisuke, was best if he avoided. She was his closest friend, not a villain or a bitch, but his friend. At least, she used to be.

"It's not her fault, Mom."

Natsuko sighed while she was looking at her son; he always gave Hikari too much leeway when it came to her shortcomings. She knew that her son thought that the Yagami girl was without flaws, a mistake that too many people made when they were young and in love, and Natsuko touched Takeru's face wondering how someone could hurt such a perfect boy. Her son was handsome, and had the kindest and most honest heart of any person that she had ever known, and Natsuko smiled, being proud of her son.

"So what's her name?"

Takeru gave a smile at the subject of the new girl, and Natsuko noticed that the smile was a content one. Not an excited or embarrassed one which would have appeared had it been two months ago with the subject being Hikari, but a simply content one. She hoped that her son wouldn't go through any rejections just like he had with the Yagami girl, but at least it seemed that he wouldn't take any possible rejections as hard as did the ones from Hikari.

"Her name is Ayano."

Natsuko raised an eyebrow at her son, clearly hearing the way that he had addressed the girl without any honorifics. She was used to Takeru being that way with Hikari, the lack of formalities being normal between them, but hearing her son being so familiar with a girl she did not know stirred up the strange combination of curiosity and protectiveness. She didn't want Takeru to be hurt again; she hated seeing him cry, as would any mother.

It wasn't simply a matter of babying her son, but this was a question of honor and pride. Takeru was not her baby anymore, running around with an oversized ridiculous green hat, but he was already starting to become a man. It wasn't up to her whether or not it was okay for a man to cry, over a dumb teenage girl no less, but she had a feeling that Takeru wouldn't think it was alright.

"Just Ayano?"

Her piercing eyes just gazed at him, making him uncomfortable just as she had assumed, and Natsuko wanted a straight answer. The last girl that Takeru had referred to with none of the traditional forms of address had stolen his honor and wounded his pride, and she would eat her own shit, for lack of a more pleasant image, before she would let it happen again.

"Yeah, just Ayano."

Takeru watched as his mother continued to eye him, harder than before, and he wondered what she was evaluating this time.

"So, is she pretty?"

Honestly, Takeru wouldn't have been talking to his mom about Ayano if it wasn't White Day, but as it was he didn't really have any other choice. The topic of the girl's attractiveness however, was not something that he wanted to discuss with his mother of all people, and he felt a bit of relief when he heard Patamon interrupt them.

"She's pretty, Mom. I think she's pretty."

As Patamon flew and landed on Takeru's head, messing up the boy's poor attempt at styling his hair that morning, both Takeru and Natsuko smiled at the way that Patamon had addressed the woman.

"Do you have any pictures of her, Takeru?"

Takeru was about to answer to his mother that he didn't have any pictures of Ayano, clothed or otherwise, but then he remembered that he did have something else that he could show her instead. As he set down the envelope and the package that he was holding, he opened up his backpack to search for what he was going to show his mother. Takeru grinned as he pulled out a slightly ruffled piece of sketch paper and handed it to his mother.

Natsuko didn't know what to expect when she saw her son hand her a piece of sketch paper, but when she saw what was on the paper she was a bit surprised by the detail of it. It was a drawing of a smiling girl, one that was pretty just as Patamon had said, but Natsuko was a bit confused as to why Takeru had a drawing of this new girl instead of a regular picture. Regardless, she couldn't place it, but she saw a sort of elegance carried by the girl in the picture. The way the girl's eyes looked, the way her head was held high, something clicked in Natsuko's mind that this girl came from money. In any case, yes, she was indeed attractive; at least enough for her son.

"She's gorgeous Takeru," Natsuko looked up from the drawing seriously doubting her son's artistic talent, "did you draw this?"

Takeru laughed, while Patamon squirmed on his head, as if his mom had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world.

"No, Ayano drew it as a self portrait to give to me. She says that it's improper for a boy to have photographs of a girl when he's not dating her," Takeru paused and quickly debated whether or not to add the next statement, "even if he's courting her."

Natsuko once again raised an eyebrow, inquisitively, just as she had been doing all throughout the conversation. It sounded like an odd thing for a high school girl to say.

"Improper? Courting?"

Takeru grunted, but then gave a small chuckle when he heard Patamon try to imitate him.

"Her words, not mine, Mom. She comes from a wealthy family, and she takes manners pretty seriously."

Just as she had assumed, the girl came from money. It was a plus if the girl that was going to be dating her son was rich, but Natsuko was a bit curious as to whether she came from new money or old money. There was a difference, always a sort of pomp or maybe a dash of arrogance, depending on the style of wealth, of course. If nothing else, it was food for thought.

"So are you dating her?"

"Not yet. She says I have to have her father's approval before we go out; that and she says that you have to approve of her in return."

This caught Natsuko's interest. The girl sounded culled, one would expect as much from an ever dutiful daughter, and this meant one of only two things. The first being that Ayano was just as prim and just as proper as she sounded, or the second meaning that that wasn't particularly true. Repressed and obedient girls, just like the ones that Natsuko remembered herself befriending, usually weren't virgins.

"And why is that?"

At this Takeru picked Patamon off of his head and instead held him in his arms like he used to when he was younger.

"She says that every mother deserves to have an opinion on who her son decides to date."

It was an adoring thought, one that earned the girl a lot of brownie points with Natsuko, but the woman decided to still be cautious if she gave the girl her acceptance. She would have preferred a virgin to be his son's first girlfriend, though she had no way of knowing whether or not Ayano was or wasn't, but Natsuko also decided that she would try her best not to judge. If Takeru liked this girl, if she could help him to at least get over this bump with Hikari, then she was okay enough for him to be with.

"Well then, let's see how she does at dinner."

Takeru began smiling and let go of Patamon, who then flew over to Natsuko's arms, as his mother handed back to him Ayano's self portrait. He put it carefully in a folder that he had put aside specially for that picture, and any other drawings that the artist girl might give him in the future, and he wondered if Ayano would win his mother's approval.

Once again picking up the package and the envelope, Takeru said farewell to his mother and Patamon, but as he left his apartment he didn't feel right. For most of his life Hikari had been the main person he thought about, but he knew that slowly, thoughts about her were being replaced with thoughts about Ayano. Takeru felt the familiar heartache rush throughout his body; he was betraying Hikari.

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><p>Now, to continue on. Patamon is awesome.<p> 


	7. Up High in the Trees

I'm continuing on with my revising/rewriting of this story, and this chapter felt a lot more depressing than it was originally. The first time around I had it end on a rather happy note, happy being relative, but I decided to add a little twist this go around.

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon, but Bob Dylan might in another universe

**Edit: 7/23/12 Came and revised a bit. Will continue to do so for later chapters. Cleaning up grammar mistakes, and certain wording or phrasing that I've come to not really like all that much. Just minor changes, nothing too serious. Just trying to improve the writing style, and experience for the reader.**

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><p>Takeru had a hard time concentrating on the day that lay ahead of him, instead giving too much thought to the presents that he was still carrying around with him. One of them, the extremely expensive tiny package, was for a girl that he honestly did not want to see on White Day of all days, and the other was an envelope containing something that was meant for his possible future girlfriend. He was a bit excited and more than a bit nervous to give the latter gift, to be honest that experience was going to be so much easier than the situation with his old friend that he was going to have to go through, and Takeru just wanted to get rid of the gift that was meant for Hikari as soon as possible. It was a reminder of bad things, of thoughts that he didn't want in his head, but the worst part about it was that it was a way to pathetically cling onto the past. If he wanted any chance to move on from Yagami Hikari, this being something that Takeru honestly wasn't so sure about, then he would have to get rid of the little box that had become lost in his closet.<p>

Most days, with the exception of this one, Takeru always looked forward to seeing Hikari. Lately though, they seemed to be more and more distant from one another, almost like strangers even, and Takeru wasn't sure what to make of it. On one hand it made the problems they were going through all the more awkward, but on the other hand, it made the two of them engage in those awkward interactions far less than they would have otherwise.

White Day was supposed to be a day of love, of sappy romance and star-crossed lovers as cheesy as it sounded, and that was exactly the reason that he didn't want to see Hikari. He didn't want to associate things like love with her anymore, and having to give her this gift that had cost him so much, not only in terms of money, but emotion as well, was actually starting to become somewhat painful. Valentine's Day had already been ruined for him; he didn't want the same to happen to White Day.

"Takeru, what's up? You walked right passed me."

He stopped to turn around and grinned when he saw his friend Daisuke standing at the gates of their school, apparently waiting for him, and he wondered if his old war buddy could give him any advice. This whole Hikari business was something that Daisuke himself had had past experience with, ugly and awkward experience with, and there was a bit of knowledge that Takeru wanted to know.

"Sorry man, there's something on my mind. Think you can help me with it?"

Daisuke eyed the blonde for a moment, all the while also eyeing the envelope and the package that was in his friend's hands, and he sighed since he had a feeling about what this was probably going to deal with. Even on White Day she had to fuck up Takeru's day.

"Is this about Hikari-chan?"

Takeru gave a forced laugh, wondering how he had been that transparent, and he hoped that what he was going to ask wouldn't bother Daisuke in any way. It had been a long time, but deep wounds always found a way of leaving scars.

"How did you get over her?"

Daisuke muttered a curse while he shook his head, feeling that Takeru didn't need to be bogged down by difficulties brought on by a girl who didn't even respect him. She didn't respect him enough to give Takeru a definite answer on his advances, she didn't respect him enough to not mock him behind his back, she didn't respect him enough to be mature enough about Takeru's possible new relationship with a girl, and she didn't respect him enough to let him go once he finally got the hint. Respect, like pride and honor, were one of the few things that made a man who he was.

"Can we have one day where we don't talk about her, man?"

Takeru didn't need charm or words to convince Daisuke to answer his question; all he needed was to look at him, and he knew that his friend would comply. Whether someone thought that Daisuke was an ass or a hero, and at times he could be both, he was always good friend, no matter what. Takeru only hoped that he could be as good a friend in return.

"Please, Dai."

_Dai._ It was strange hearing Takeru say his name like that, and seeing Takeru's embarrassed looking face, he knew it was strange for him to say it. The lack of honorifics between them was one thing, but a name like Dai was usually something Daisuke would expect a girl to say to him. He sounded desperate. Damn it, Takeru always knew how to get to him.

"Shit."

Takeru smiled.

"So how did you get over her?"

Daisuke was about to say something, but his attention, as well as Takeru's, drifted to a happy looking brunette that was now walking toward them. Rebound or not, and in Daisuke's opinion it definitely was a rebound, he was glad that Takeru had something to distract him from the more sensitive happenings that were going on. He was quiet when he answered his pal, this was business between them that nobody else needed to know, and he put an arm around Takeru as he whispered something in his ear.

"I gave myself a chance to be happy. I'm glad you're doing the same, Takeru."

Takeru felt his old friend pat him on the back and walk away, and he made sure to remind himself later to thank him for the simple yet helpful advice. Daisuke left without saying goodbye, probably out of some misplaced sense of honor concerning an unwritten rule in a nonexistent bro code, but he was glad to have the privacy at least. Ayano's hair was longer than Hikari's, about the same shade of brown, and he liked the fact that the two girls were about the same height. He didn't want to, he felt guilty doing so, but he couldn't help but compare Ayano and Hikari to each other. They had plenty of differences between them, but they also had their fair share of similarities as well. The most prominent and guilt-ridden one probably being that when he looked at either of the girls, it was Hikari that was the one that he thought about.

"Good morning, Takeru."

Takeru didn't respond but just kissed Ayano, wishing to get his thoughts about Hikari out of his head already. It worked for a moment, but the boy was dismayed when he began to wonder what it would feel like being kissed by his old comrade-in-arms. He had kissed Hikari before, but she had backed off, not kissing him in return. Unlike the girl in front of him she didn't want to kiss him, and Takeru felt guilty thinking about his friend while kissing a girl who was enamored with him. He stopped what he was doing and brushed some of Ayano's long hair out of her face; feeling terrible that he would rather be doing that to a different girl instead.

"I got you something."

He smiled as Ayano bit her lip nervously while looking at him, and he noticed that the girl's eyes moved to the envelope and then the package that he was holding. There was something in her eyes that made him feel like she was wondering which gift was meant for Hikari. He wondered if he had been that transparent, just as he had been with Daisuke earlier, and he breathed softly as he noted that Ayano's eyes were the same color as Hikari's. He forgot for a moment whose eyes they were.

"Which one is mine, Takeru-kun?"

He had to admit that he hated Ayano addressing him so formally, no matter how formal he already knew her to be, and he was curious if Hikari felt the same way when he had addressed her in such a manner. Was she angry? Was Yagami Hikari pining for him to be say her name more sweetly?

"Here."

It was easy enough for him to see the disappointed look on Ayano's face when he handed her the envelope instead of the prettily wrapped package. In hindsight it would have been better had he hidden Hikari's gift instead of carrying it around, and Takeru felt stupid for not putting it in his pocket. On top of that, he felt like an asshole as well for possibly hurting Ayano's feelings, among other things.

"Thank you, Takeru-kun."

He didn't like the way that Ayano looked away from him as she accepted the envelope that he was giving her, and Takeru pondered whether or not she knew the significance of the small box he was holding. Even though she was unaware of what was in the box, Takeru knew that she knew that it was important; she seemed to be at least a bit smart in the same way that his mother had always been.

"Please don't call me that."

Takeru felt that guilt once again when he saw Ayano look up at him with a forced smile that was not like any of the smiles that she had given him when they were alone. It reminded him about all the smiles that she gave to people who didn't like her, out of politeness; it reminded him of the smiles she gave to Miyako or Hikari whenever they were in the same room together. It was a smile, not of sincerity, but of passive aggression.

"I'm sorry, Takeru."

Addressing him in such a way had been forced, and Takeru didn't know if he hated that more, or if her addressing him with honorifics was more of a finger in the wound. Things had moved fast between the two of them, for obvious reasons that neither of the pair were too keen on focusing on, but Takeru didn't want things to end fast as well. If they did, he didn't want to blame Hikari either, but somehow deep down, he knew that he would.

"Is something wrong, Ayano?"

He made sure to coo her name in the way that he knew girls liked it, but he was disappointed when he saw that she didn't react in a smile. Instead she gave him a glare, an accusing eye.

"Why does everything have to be about her?"

Takeru tried to grab Ayano's hand that wasn't holding the envelope that he had given her, but she didn't let him, pulling her hand away when he touched her. She was now holding onto the envelope wondering what was inside of it; wondering why Takeru had even bothered to give it to her.

"It's not."

She kept glaring at him for a second, before she began to walk away from him heading towards the front door of the school's building. In any case, she didn't travel that far before Takeru grabbed onto her arm and stopped her.

"Where are you going?"

Her glare was just as sharp as ever, before roughly pulling away. She wondered what Goro would would have done, had he seen what Takeru just did. Probably try to kick Takeru's ass, if he could, but it wasn't something that Ayano was in any hurry to see.

"I'm going to class, Takeru."

The boy winced when he heard the harsh way that she had said his name.

"We have the same class, Ayano."

He returned the harshness.

"I don't want to walk with you."

Takeru felt bad when he saw her wince in the same manner that he did.

"Why not?"

The girl looked irritated with him, but Takeru didn't care. He wanted an answer. He was already too sick of bullshit.

"I want a little space for right now. You're being a bad boyfriend."

At first Takeru felt nothing, but then he felt hurt and angry. Space was what Hikari had asked for after she rejected him, and hearing Ayano say she wanted space as well, it was just another reminder of bad things, just like the package in his hand.

"Then maybe it's a good thing that your dad never said that you could date me."

Takeru yet again felt guilt when he saw the hurt look on Ayano's face, but the guilt was replaced with regret when he saw the way that she wasn't even looking at him anymore.

"If that's the way you feel, Takeru, then maybe we should stop," the girl paused for a moment not knowing what say, and she put a little bit of physical distance between them, before she motioned to the empty space separating them, "whatever the hell this is."

She turned away with the intent of walking away from Takeru, but stopped when she felt him grab her again. Knowing that he couldn't see her face she smiled for a moment, because the way he had grabbed her was gentle unlike before. She felt both of his hands on her, and knew that he had pocketed the gift that was without a doubt meant for Hikari. The Yagami girl had broken Takeru's heart, and now Ayano felt that she was playing a role in Takeru breaking hers.

"I'm sorry. I'm so damn sorry."

He repeated himself a number of times, and he whispered sweetly in her ears. He had let the hurt that he felt, hurt that Ayano wasn't even responsible for, get the better of him, and Takeru immediately regretted it. She was already just his distraction, he didn't want her to be a catalyst of bad thoughts as well.

"How do you think it makes me feel seeing you give another girl jewelry on White Day? Seeing you give _her_," here Ayano paused for a moment as she hoped that Takeru did not miss the way she had said the word 'her'. She felt his hands tense for a moment, and she knew that he got the hint, "jewelry on White Day?"

"I promise I'll get you some later."

Ayano turned to face Takeru again, and looked up at him with a face that he couldn't tell the meaning of. She couldn't believe that Takeru didn't understand what the problem was. She wasn't some shallow girl that cared about pretty trinkets; she was just a girl that cared about _him_.

"I don't care about jewelry, Takeru, but why are you giving it to her on White Day? It hurts and makes me feel like you value her more than you do me."

He would have grabbed her hands had she not been holding the envelope, and Takeru just stared at her, unsure of what to do. There were so many different directions that he could go, so many things that he could say, and as he saw the almost expectant way that she was looking at him, Takeru decided what he was going to do. He decided to lie to her.

"It's not like that Ayano, not at all. I got this for her a long time ago, and I just don't want to be around it anymore."

It was true, he didn't want to be around it, but there were other things at play as well. She looked away from him, as if she was unsure about whether or not to trust him, and Takeru found himself hating the sight.

"Really?"

Takeru lifted her head up to kiss her, and when their kiss finished he was glad that he saw her trying to hold back a smile. She had such a pretty smile, and he was glad that his most recent lie hadn't been as transparent as the other things that he had been trying to hide.

"Open what I got you."

Ayano had almost forgotten about the envelope, and she carefully opened it, curious to what was inside. She laughed and rolled her eyes when she saw that they were tickets to go watch a Bunraku show at the National Theater in Tokyo. She remembered telling Takeru that when she was a little girl, that she was scared of the puppets when her parents had taken her to a show, and that she had regretted being so frightened since they never took her to another one. Takeru was a sweetheart; Takeru was her sweetheart. She kissed him again, and smiled when he grabbed her hand.

Takeru smiled back, and noted how her hand felt just like Hikari's.

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><p>In another reality, I could have called you, friend.<p>

Whatever the case may be, I'm enjoying the improvements that I'm making to the story. Changed the parts that I really didn't like in hindsight.


	8. Chapter 8

Alright it's me Leon C. again, and I bring you yet another chapter of _Distance_. This is easily my favorite story that I'm having the most fun writing, and by coincidence it awesome seems to be my most popular story. Hell it's even my first story to break 50 reviews so yeah thanks for that to the readers of mine who like to express their opinions after they read. You know who you are. One reader, a **ll-Persephone-ll, **asked how many chapters I was planning to write, but truthfully I'm not sure, and I've thought of many different directions that this story can take. Hopefully you my readers like the route I chose to go with. Oh and also this is the long awaited Hikari chapter that has been twice delayed already. One thing I do have to say however is that yeah I agree that Hikari deserves a break, so be expecting that in this chapter. There will still be that angsty element, but I hope I did a good jopb in putting in that silver lining as well.

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon, but I own up to the fact that I write fan fiction based on said series.

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><p>Hikari thought of herself as a terrible friend. It was White Day, a day of love, and here she was hoping that her best friend's relationship would fail. To be honest she had been hoping for that since the moment Takeru first showed interest in Ayano, but everyday became harder for Hikari because everyday Takeru seemed to take more of a liking to the artist. It was only a matter of time before the two of them became official.<p>

She had decided to stay home from school that day, having Taichi help her in convincing their parents that she was sick, and Hikari sat on the couch watching TV as she was eating ice cream while still dressed in her pajamas. Usually she was excited each year for White Day, but now she was not in the mood seeing as she was going to have to watch Takeru hand a thoughtful romantic gift to some girl that was too pretty for her own good.

Hikari hated feeling so jealous of Ayano, especially when the artist's relationship with Takeru was her own fault, but she couldn't help but get angry whenever she saw the girl. This wouldn't have been that big of a problem since they barely saw each other in school and for the most part attended different kinds of events, but ever since Takeru had started hanging out with Ayano, Hikari had been forced to spend time with her as well.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that Hikari didn't notice that her brother had just gotten home and was staring at her. She was still thinking about what exactly Takeru saw in Ayano, but halfway through her thinking she felt that it wasn't that hard to think of reasons why he would be so enamored with the artist. For one she was very pretty, the classy kind of pretty not the usual trashy one, and Hikari didn't know if she quite measured up to Ayano's looks. She had creative talent, like Takeru himself, and Hikari somewhat felt that her own interest in photography didn't quite match up to the other girl's artistic skills. Also she was apparently rich, but Hikari knew that Takeru wasn't really interested in that sort of thing. Either way that was still a plus in her favor.

"Are you okay?"

Being shaken out of her distraction, Hikari who was now shoving another glob of ice cream in her mouth looked up at her older brother. Comfort food was always the tastiest.

"I'm fine Ni-san."

Taichi eyed up his sister, and already knew immediately that she was lying. She looked terrible, lately terrible being her normal look and Taichi had a small inclination about who was responsible. He knew that this was Takeru's fault, and although he wanted to be angry with the younger boy he sympathized with him. He had gone through something similar.

"Is that why you're still wearing your pajamas at almost four o'clock, and eating all of our ice cream?"

Hikari looked at the spoonful of ice cream that she was about to enjoy, but she set her spoon down in the bucket feeling fat and guilty for having eaten so much.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Taichi didn't like his little sister being sad, so whether or not she wanted to he would get her to talk about the situation. Yamato had been right when he said that Hikari was jealous of whatever girl his brother was now dating, and having the proof right in front of him Taichi wanted to do everything in his power to make the jealously die down, or at least make his little sister's tough time just the tiniest bit more bearable.

"Is this about Takeru-kun's new girlfriend?"

He knew it was when his sister shot daggers at him with her eyes.

"I said I don't want to talk about it."

Hikari knew that her brother had always been at least the tiniest bit dense, but she didn't know how he couldn't understand her wishes as he sat down next to her. She, in vain, tried to hold onto the bucket of ice cream she still had in her hands, but Hikari stopped resisting when Taichi got the ice cream away from her. She decided to listen to what he had to say; it was the only way to get her dessert back.

"Alright don't talk, but you have to listen to what I have to say. Takeru has a new girlfriend right now, and the only reason that she's been taking up most of his time lately is because they're in the honeymoon stage right now. Once they start dating longer, or once you get yourself a boyfriend it won't really seem like that big of a deal."

A boyfriend that wasn't Takeru. For Hikari that had been something that she had wanted for a long time since people around her almost expected her to end up with Takeru, but now that that seemed the most likely outcome, she wanted nothing to do with it. She had been stupid for turning down Takeru; at least that's what Hikari was now feeling. She had so many damn chances. She should have said yes.

"I don't want a boyfriend Ni-san, I want Takeru."

Taichi looked at his sister oddly for a moment, but then sighed as realization hit him. His sister, now at a point where Takeru had already had his heart broken multiple times over and had a new romantic interest, wanted to be with her best friend. He didn't want to say anything, but it wasn't fair to Takeru that this was now how Hikari felt, but Taichi, always the doting older brother, knew that his baby sister wallowing in sadness was not fair either.

"For you and Takeru-kun to date," Taichi paused for a moment wanting to put his next words as delicately as possible, "would be really impractical with all that's happened."

Hikari didn't look at her brother, and she kept her gaze looking down and away letting his words sink in. This was what she wanted, but now that the fact that Takeru and she had little chance to move past friendship was in her face, she wished she could have taken back all the rejections that she knew had deeply hurt Takeru. She wished that she had not pulled away from his kisses.

"How do you know that?"

She was torturing herself, she knew that, but Hikari couldn't just drop the subject now that the truth of it was coming out. She had taken Takeru's feelings for granted, and now that they were slipping further and further away from her she knew that she should have not taken him lightly. She wondered if he still had those feelings for her, and Hikari also wondered if it would still be too late to act on those feelings.

"From what Yamato says you've rejected him like what four times?"

Taichi waited for a moment, and took his sister's silence as a yes and continued with what he was going to say. He didn't know if he was sounding harsh, and he certainly did not want that, but he felt as if he needed to make sure that Hikari knew the seriousness of what was going on. If Taichi didn't get her to understand, than the possibility that she would continue to get even more depressed than she already was still existed.

"You've hurt him Hikari. Guys don't forget that kind of stuff."

She felt like telling off her older brother, but stopped when she heard a knock at the door. She stood up and headed for the door since something inside of her told her that it was Takeru. Seeing his face when she opened the door made her smile since that something had been right.

However, the smile lessened when she saw that standing at Takeru's side was the only person that Hikari could honestly say that she hated. She was a little angry at Takeru since she felt that he had no right to bring Ayano of all people to her home, but she felt more hurt than anything seeing Takeru with the artist girl. It was not lost on Hikari how said artist girl was glaring at her.

"We'll talk later Hikari."

As Taichi said this he watched his little sister turn to him for a moment before he got up from the couch and set the tub of ice cream he had confiscated from his sister on the coffee table in the living room. Taichi then made his way to the front door of his apartment and exchanged the proper greetings and goodbyes with Takeru and this girl that was obviously the same one that he had been hearing so much about lately. After quickly putting on some shoes Taichi left the apartment, and he made a note to himself that he had to congratulate Takeru later on scoring a total babe.

"Your brother seems nice."

Hikari's eyes met Ayano's, and she knew that the other girl was daring her to do something or say something that would make her look bad in front of Takeru. At first when Ayano was spending more and more time with their group Hikari thought that she was only imagining the dirty looks or off hand compliments that worked better as insults, but the longer she was around this artist the more she knew everything that had been done was on purpose. Hikari hated that whenever Takeru was watching, that Ayano seemed to be the perfect girlfriend, and that whenever his attention was somewhere else it seemed that Ayano would get just the tiniest bit meaner.

"He is."

Both girls turned to Takeru who had broken the tension, and both girls smiled at him, but stopped after a couple seconds knowing that the other was smiling as well. For a moment Hikari felt like punching the girl in her pretty stupid little face, but then she surprisingly felt a little sorry for her when she looked at things from her point of view. If Hikari had been going out with a boy that she knew was in love with a different girl, and he still hung out and visited said girl, that she would have been angry at the girl as well.

"What are you doing here Keru?"

Hikari made sure to say Takeru's nickname especially affectionate, and she made sure that Ayano had a good view of the way she placed her hand on his arm. Hikari then smiled; partly because she was now touching Takeru, but mostly because she could tell that Ayano was pissed off.

"You weren't at school today so I came to check on you."

Hikari's smile came back; Takeru was always so sweet.

"I'm fine Takeru."

Hikari noticed that Takeru almost had that childish twinkle in his eye that had disappeared when she had first rejected him. She hadn't seen that twinkle in what seemed to her a really long time, and Hikari didn't realize until now on how badly she missed even the tiniest thing about Takeru. She frowned a bit when she thought about if it was Ayano who had brought back that twinkle.

"Are you sure?"

She saw the way he was smirking at her, probably since she was wearing pajamas with a bunch of ice cream stains on them, and Hikari had to fight back the urge to smack Takeru. She looked at Takeru and then at the girl who was with him, and she knew that as soon as Takeru's face frowned that he had understood what she wanted. She watched as he looked down at Ayano, and Hikari didn't like the way that the other girl smiled at him and put her hand to his face. Ayano had also taken the hint that Hikari had wanted her to go away, but Hikari hated what Ayano did next. She kissed Takeru.

Hikari didn't like what Takeru did either, which was kissing Ayano in return, and she couldn't help but feel a little bit hurt seeing a goofy grin on Takeru's face after they had broken away from each other.

"I'll see you later tonight okay Keru?"

He smiled at her, and she returned that smile with just as much happiness. Hikari hated watching the two of them.

"I'm a bit nervous."

Ayano's response to Takeru was to laugh and kiss him on the cheek, and then without giving him a chance to do anything in return, she quickly scurried off down the hallway of Hikari's apartment. Hikari watched the two, and admitted that the dynamics of their relationship was cute to an extent, but she still couldn't help but feel jealously as she watched Takeru's gaze linger on the other girl, and said girl turn back around to smile at her almost boyfriend with a face that was too damn pretty for her good. Hikari couldn't believe that she had pushed Takeru away; that she had thrown away her chance to act the way Ayano had been with Takeru. Hikari knew that she couldn't watch anymore, and that she had to somehow distract Takeru.

"What's tonight?"

Takeru paused for a moment, and Hikari wondered about if he was mad.

"She's meeting my ka-san."

Hikari bit her lip clearly not wanting to hear that things were getting so serious in Takeru's new relationship, and she moved out of the way so that he could go inside her apartment. She watched as he sat on the couch, and after closing her front door she made her way to Takeru's side.

"Oh. I didn't know things were that far along yet."

Takeru didn't respond Hikari at first, and it was obvious that he had something that was on his mind. There was a selfish feeling in Hikari that bubbled up with her wishing that something about Ayano was troubling him. Maybe he found out that she had another boyfriend somewhere else, or maybe she was a lesbian only using him as a cover. Something like that was too good to be true in Hikari's eyes.

"Please don't be mean to her."

Hikari sighed knowing exactly who he was talking about.

"She hates me."

It was Takeru who sighed this time.

"Please?"

She didn't want to say no to him since he sounded so desperate, but she didn't even know why it was so important to him that she and Ayano were friends. The fact that he didn't even try to deny that Ayano hated Hikari proved that he knew there was some animosity between them, and if he knew that then Takeru had no right to ask Hikari to play nice with the other girl.

"I hate her too."

She watched as he ran his hand through his hair and debated something in his mind. She didn't like watching him think, because it made Hikari feel as if Takeru was trying to decide between her and Ayano, and the answer should have been obvious to him. Hikari was the one he had known for years on end, and Hikari was the comrade who had fought by his side. She knew that he had forgiven her for the broken heart that she caused, and that alone should have let Takeru be able to choose her immediately. Hikari's thoughts were dampened though when she remembered her brother saying that guys don't forget it when a girl hurts them. She wished that just this once that her brother wasn't right.

"Maybe I should go."

Hikari felt a pain in her heart feeling that Takeru had made his choice between the girls; a choice that wasn't her. If that's how he felt Hikari didn't even want to see him, and for a tiny brief moment she hated him. The hate though disappeared when she felt heartache rush through her body once again. She wanted Takeru to stay with her so much.

"If that's how you feel, then leave Takeru."

He didn't move for a moment, not wanting to be without Hikari again just yet, but then he sighed as he stood up. He thought he was over the girl, but honestly he knew that he had only been lying to himself now that he was once again in her presence. Everything about her made his heart leap, but everything about her made that same heart push the boundaries of how much pain he could feel. He reached into his pocket, and as he left Takeru dropped the present that he had gotten for Hikari beside her on the couch.

Hikari looked at the wrapped box, and immediately knew that Takeru did get her something for white day after all. Cautiously, she took the box and carefully removed the wrapping and smiled when she saw what was inside. It was a beautiful and expensive looking necklace, and Hikari looked up at Takeru who was now standing at her front door already about to leave.

"Keru wait."

She watched as he froze, and when he turned around Hikari smiled at him; the smile only growing larger when he smiled at her in return. He walked back over to her and sat next to her expectantly wondering what she had to say. Hikari handed him the necklace and turned so that he could put it on her. He did.

Now that she was wearing it, Hikari looked at the pendant that was attached to the necklace and smiled at the pink Sakura flower. Sakura flowers were everywhere when it came to Japan, but she knew the reason that Takeru had given her a beautiful necklace with a pendant of one was a reason of his own. There was an old story that the two of them always used to talk about whenever Takeru was in a deep feeling mood, and Hikari's heart beat fast just thinking about it.

There was a princess, a daughter of a mountain god, named Konohanasakuya-hime whose symbol was the Sakura flower. One day on a seashore she met a god named Ninigi, and the two of them fell in love. Ninigi ended up asking the Sakura princess to be his wife to which she accepted, but her father, the mountain god, proposed that Ninigi marry his oldest daughter instead. However, Ninigi was in love with the younger princess, and he refused to marry anyone other than her. The mountain god reluctantly accepted allowing Ninigi to marry his younger daughter, and it is said that this is why the lives of humans are like Sakura flowers; short and fleeting.

There was more to the story than just that, but Hikari didn't remember the rest; such things were always more of interest to Takeru. However, what she did know of the old story touched her that even gods would give up immortality for love. Whenever she used to hear Takeru tell that story to her she always wanted to experience a love that powerful, but it never occurred to her why Takeru would tell that particular story. Thinking back on it maybe it was because he already felt a love that passionate, and was trying to find a way to express that love.

"Thank you Takeru."

She smiled at his smile, and there was something inside Hikari that told her that maybe things were going to start to get better. The way that Takeru was looking at her she knew that the boy still loved her, and somehow she knew that his love was the powerful kind that was just like the one that Ninigi had. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it as they sat on the couch together. It was the best White Day that she had ever had.

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><p>The Japanese story that I included in this chapter is actually a real one from Japanese Mythology. If you have the time I suggest going to check it out. it's always good to learn about different cultures, and I just hope that I didn't butcher it or anything.<p>

P.S. It feels like I've uploaded/posted a lot in this past week. Maybe I should take a break from this site for a bit? Maybe not. haha


	9. Chapter 9

Here I am, Leon C., and I come to you bringing the ninth chapter of **_Distance. _**To all my readers who enjoy the story, I glad that you do since my writing is all for you guys. This chapter is another one of those "accidental chapters". I went meaning to type something completely differnt, but this is what I came out with. This is a Natsuko/Hikari chapter, and I honestly didn't mean to write this chapter now. It was supposed to be another Takari chapter, but I feel like this chapter does this story justice. I promise next chapter is a Takari one.

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon.

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><p>Hikari was standing outside of Takeru's apartment partly because she wanted to talk to him, but mostly because she wanted to see how Ayano meeting his mother went. White Day had been the previous day, and Hikari, who was still wearing the necklace that Takeru had given her, still felt a flutter inside her when thinking about everything that had happened. Takeru giving her expensive gifts on White Day was a normal annual occurrence, but this time it had been different. This time she did not expect him to give her anything, but when he did she was filled with a type of excitement that she had never felt before. This time was also different in another way as well, because this time Takeru had a girlfriend.<p>

It was true that both Takeru and Ayano denied that they were dating when asked, but Hikari knew she wasn't the only one who noticed the way that the two of them snuck off during breaks at school, or the way that they would take every opportunity to be alone. They weren't official yet, but Hikari couldn't understand how the two of them denied that they had a relationship when they had no qualms about kissing in public.

Hikari knocked on Takeru's apartment door, and she forced a smile on her face when she saw that Natsuko had answered it. She had always admired Takeru's mother since she was a strong modern woman, but that was part of the reason she also didn't want to be in her presence. It was not lost on her the way that Natsuko quickly evaluated her as she stood in the hallway of his floor, and what bothered Hikari was the fact that Natsuko didn't even try to hide her look of disapproval. Hikari kept her smile on though, and for a moment wondered about how Natsuko had evaluated Ayano. Hikari had, selfishly in her own opinion, hoped that the dinner between Ayano and Natsuko had gone horribly, but a nagging feeling inside of her told her that it didn't. Ayano was: rich, beautiful, polite, graceful, and most importantly submissive to what Natsuko would judge of her future with Takeru. She was the perfect daughter-in-law.

"Good morning Takaishi-san," Hikari bowed her head slightly to show that she too could be at least partly submissive, "can I see Takeru?"

When Hikari finished bowing she looked up to see Natsuko eyeing her with an eyebrow raised. She knew from past experience that the woman was intelligent and calculating, and something told Hikari that in her day she must have had countless boys and men wrapped around her finger. Hikari could see that there was a quality in Natsuko's eyes that spoke of a wild freedom, but she couldn't find a word that could properly describe it. What an intimidating woman to have as a mother-in-law.

"No."

Hikari blinked not really expecting that answer. She was being polite to Takeru's mother as a courtesy, and she never expected Natsuko to say that she couldn't see him. She was his best friend, and no matter what Natsuko or Ayano wanted, Takeru would always be hers.

She debated with herself on what to do next. On one hand she could leave as a sign of good faith to Natsuko, or she could stand her ground and demand to see Takeru. However, she stood there thinking for longer than she had hoped, and when Hikari looked back up at Natsuko, the older woman looked amused.

"He's asleep."

Hikari blinked again not expecting that answer either. Natsuko just laughed and continued speaking.

"Would you like to come inside?"

A nod and a yes later, Hikari walked into the Takaishi's apartment as Natsuko gave her some space to enter. She looked around, and seeing no sign of Takeru, Hikari let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. For a moment she didn't know why she was so nervous, but after feeling Natsuko's eyes watching her from behind she knew the answer was obvious.

"When is Takeru going to be awake?"

Hikari watched as Natsuko, once again, eyed her. She couldn't help but feel as if the older woman was giving her an inspection of some sort, and to be frank it was starting to make Hikari uncomfortable. She didn't like being judged, and lately she had the feeling that almost everyone was judging her for how she had originally handled Takeru's feelings.

"Probably after I finish making breakfast," Natsuko paused and Hikari took special notice to the way the woman's eyes landed on her. A look; a challenge, "would you like to help me?"

The teen girl fidgeted a moment, because she was quite aware that Takeru's mother, and pretty much everyone else, knew that being a Yagami meant having a poor reputation for cooking; never mind the fact that Taichi was actually pretty good at it. For a moment she was terrified, but than in a surge of courage that her brother would be proud of, Hikari confidently met Natsuko's eyes. In her mind she wondered if Ayano was good at cooking.

"What do you need me to do Takaishi-san?"

There was glint of surprise in the older woman's eyes, but in a moment it was replaced with amusement. She had no idea what the Yagami girl was trying to prove, but to be honest she had always wanted to cook with Hikari anyways. Before it had been an idle fancy of hers to cook with the girl who, in a more naïve time, she thought was undoubtedly going to be her future daughter-in-law. Now everything, including her opinions and all of her fancies, seemed strange. The strangest thought being that her son would probably not get married to Hikari as she had once assumed that he would.

Natsuko, like so many others, had always been under the assumption that her son and his best friend would end up dating each other, and in all honesty she was shocked, again like so many others, to learn that he had been rejected. Before he had gone to hang out with her the first time she said no to him, Natsuko remembered Takeru telling her his plan and then asking for advice. She had laughed it off telling her son that it didn't matter what he said, since Hikari would appreciate any effort he made, and she topped it off by telling him to bring Hikari home afterwards so that she could take their first picture as a couple together.

She waited in excitement for him to return, but when she saw his tear-stained face she knew how things had went. Natsuko felt so guilty about the way she practically pushed her son into asking out Hikari, and she felt almost solely responsible for the days of heartache that he went through. Looking at the younger girl, Natsuko remembered the way Takeru practically stayed in his room for days after the rejection, with the exception of going to school, and she had been slightly angry at the Yagami girl for how she dealt with the whole situation. Hikari had not visited her son, nor did she even call him to see how he was, but the worst part was that, according to Yamato, Hikari had been avoiding Takeru. In Natsuko's eyes, it was as if Hikari did not deem her son as suffering enough.

"Can you make eggs?"

Hikari wanted to say yes, but she almost faltered when she saw the look of doubt that was written all over the face of Takeru's mother. In all honesty she had never even tried making eggs, but she figured she would just do what she had seen her brother do on the many occasions that she had seen Taichi and Yamato cook Sunday breakfast. She hoped that she wouldn't mess up Takeru's food. It wasn't often that he got to eat a home cooked meal, especially one that was cooked by his mother.

Instead of talking Hikari simply nodded and made her way into the kitchen of the Takaishi's apartment. There she saw that the eggs were already out, and that the pan to make the eggs was already over a heated stove. Hikari then realized that she had interrupted Natsuko when she had been finishing up breakfast. She saw that set beside the stove was a small pot of miso soup and another pot of steamed rice as well.

Hikari felt Natsuko watching her, and as she picked up an egg she hoped that all the times she spent watching her brother was finally going to pay off. The moment she tried cracking the egg a huge mess was caused on the stove. None of the egg ended up in the pan.

"I'm sorry."

Natsuko sighed, and when she made her way in front of the stove she shut it off and gently guided Hikari out of the kitchen. She watched as the girl sat down at the dining room table looking defeated, and she couldn't help but feel just the tiny bit sorry for her. It was true that Hikari had broken her son's heart, but this was still a girl that she had known, and cared for, for many years. For a moment she forgot she was looking at the person who had rejected her son, and instead she pictured the junior high girl who had gone to her for advice.

One thing stuck out in the woman's mind as she remembered Hikari asking about boy advice as she was waiting for Takeru to finish getting dressed. Natsuko happily gave Hikari an answer thinking that the question had been about her son, but now in hindsight she knew that the girl was probably just asking a random question as a way to pass the time. Thinking back on old memories it seemed that Takeru had less of a chance with Hikari than everyone else had assumed; this lack of chance being proven multiple times over in recent history.

"It's okay it was just an egg," looking at the slumped teen girl Natsuko had reason to believe that she was upset for something other than just a broken egg, "but how are you?"

Natsuko didn't need to rely on her journalistic skills to know that something was wrong when she noticed Hikari's odd body language. She didn't have to be a genius to know that the way Hikari kept fidgeting with her fingers was a sign that something was weighing heavily on her mind. Noting the way that the girl kept glancing at Takeru's room, Natsuko easily guessed that that something was her son.

"I'm fine."

The answer had been quick and rushed, and in Natsuko's experience that usually meant that what was said was untruthful. Hikari's fingers still fidgeted, and her eyes kept looking at Takeru's room as if she was searching for him. Natsuko hoped that the girl could pull herself together by the time that Takeru woke up. If she didn't then it would just bring up old wounds.

"Don't lie to me."

Her voice had been harsh, and Hikari physically winced when Natsuko spoke. She looked up at Takeru's mother clearly intimidated by the woman, but she eased up when she saw that Natsuko was looking at her with kind eyes. Eyes that were piercing and beautiful, but eyes that were kind.

"What did you think of Ayano-chan?"

Natsuko kept her calm composure, but inwardly was intrigued since she didn't expect Hikari to ask about Takeru's new girlfriend. In truth, Natsuko completely and utterly adored Ayano, and she was glad that Takeru was showing interest in her. However, looking at Hikari, she knew that her son's best friend did not share her opinion.

"She's a sweet girl with a very bright future ahead of her," Natsuko paused as she felt an odd combination of both pity and slight anger at Hikari. The Yagami girl was obviously jealous that her son had seemingly moved on to someone else, but having rejected Takeru a multitude of times she had no right to be, "I think she's a good match for Takeru."

Nothing was said for a moment as Hikari just kept sitting in that chair thinking about what Natsuko had said. Ayano had her approval, and that just meant everything was just another step closer for the artist and Takeru to officially become boyfriend and girlfriend. Hikari's fingers wrapped around the Sakura flower on the necklace that Takeru had given her. She wondered if he had given Ayano something as pretty on White Day.

"What about me?"

Natsuko gave Hikari a questioning look as she pretended not to know what she had asked. She wanted the girl to actually say what she meant instead of relying on someone else to infer the meaning of her question. It would work to help her truly understand the circumstance that she had put herself in, and at the same time it would even be therapeutic.

"Do you think I'm a good match for Takeru?"

It was an odd thing to think about, since Natsuko had already thrown out the possibility of her son and Hikari having a relationship out the window. The night of the first rejection, that night of crying, was enough to cement in Natsuko the belief that her son and Hikari were less perfect for each other in execution than they were on paper. It was something that she, and her son, didn't even consider anymore. Too much had already happened.

"I used to."

Hikari accepted the woman's answer, and she met her eyes while she wondered what would be Takeru's next step with either herself of Ayano. The thought quieted down however, when Hikari took a closer look at Natsuko's eyes that reminded her so much of Takeru's. There was an odd look in them, and she couldn't tell if that look was either pity or disapproval.

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><p>Tell me your thoughts, and anything I can do that could better the story?<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

I know I should update What Happened in France, but I have writer's block for that story. I any of you have any ideas for where I should go let me know. Anyways this is the latest chapter of distance! Takeru/Hikari.

Disclaimer: Don't own digimon.

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><p>After breakfast had been eaten Natsuko had left Hikari and Takeru alone in the Takaishi's apartment, and Hikari wasn't sure what to make of it. Part of her had wanted the woman the leave so that she could spend some time alone with Takeru, and maybe work out the uneasiness that was still between them. The other part of her wanted Natsuko to stay, because said uneasiness was still something that was uncomfortable. It wasn't as noticeable, although people still saw it, when they were in larger group, but when it was just the two of them it became all the more evident.<p>

"You find some yet?"

Takeru had called out to her from the living room, and Hikari began to hurry up in looking for snacks. Hikari wasn't really hungry at the moment, but at least her searching served as something to delay the inevitable awkwardness that would result from her and Takeru actually being completely alone for the first time in a while. No Ayano, none of the other Chosen, just her and Takeru; just like it used to be.

"Yeah."

Hikari grabbed the nearest bag of chips, a flavor she realized too late that she didn't like, and she made her way to the couch where Takeru was sitting watching TV. It was some game show that played on the station where his father worked, and Hikari had an inkling that this was the reason they were now going to watch it. He didn't spend a lot of time with his father so Hikari thought that this was probably his way to connect with him. Hikari sighed thinking about how sad the situation was.

"You okay Hikari-chan?"

She hated being called that by him, but Hikari turned to Takeru and smiled to reassure him. He smiled back before turning his attention back to the show. Despite all the unfortunate things that Takeru had sometimes had to go through, he was such a happy person; that was one of Hikari's favorite things about him.

"I was wondering something Takeru."

His eyes were glued to the screen as some poor woman was covered in fish guts, and he barely registered what Hikari had said. He felt the girl nudge him, and Takeru responded with an 'hmmmm'.

"Do you think we could win at one of these shows?"

Takeru stifled a laugh and smiled, but after a moment he looked at Hikari and frowned. It wasn't the thought of going on a game show with her that made him frown, but instead the implications of the fact that the two of them would be on a game show together. Hikari seemed to not understand his expression, but she too frowned with what he said next.

"Game shows are usually only for families or couples."

Hikari looked down at the bag of chips in her lap, and took her time opening it since the uneasiness she had feared had finally surfaced. When the bag had opened she decided to eat a chip, but she almost gagged at its terrible flavor. She decided to make light of what he said so that the tension wouldn't seem so severe.

"Okay, so do you think you and Ayano-chan could win at one?"

She was going to say Yamato at first, but for some reason Ayano's name came out of her mouth. She couldn't just straight out ignore the other girl's existence, and for some reason Ayano and Takeru seemed to fit better doing something ridiculous on TV than Yamato and Takeru did. She didn't like the way Takeru grinned at the other girl's name, but she furrowed her eyebrows at what Takeru's response was. He laughed.

"She would never go on a game show; she's too prissy for that."

Hikari smiled at the comment, and wondered if she should poke fun at Ayano as well. When Takeru turned to her with an amused expression on his face, Hikari decided that she would say something in good natured fun. However, she had to remember to keep her own dislike for the girl bottled down.

"Be careful not to break her Keru, she's much too dainty for someone like you."

Takeru chuckled even though he wasn't sure if he should or not. He knew that Hikari was only joking that he shouldn't be involved with Ayano, but he had sensed just a little bit that Hikari had actually meant that part of what she said. He decided to ignore that for now, and simply smiled at the girl.

"Someone like me?"

Hikari gave Takeru a grin that could only be described as cheeky. Secretly she hoped that it could also be described as cute.

"You know, a big dumb athlete."

She watched as the boy mulled over what he should say, and she became concerned when Takeru's happy expression became a serious one.

"What would Taichi-san and Daisuke say if they heard you say that?"

He broke out into a smile again, but Hikari noticed the way he said Daisuke's name without honorifics. Had she really fallen so low on Takeru's list of friends that she ranked below Daisuke? As far as anyone knew, until recently they weren't exactly known to be the best of friends. Sure they palled around with each other, but no one would have ever suspected that they'd end up becoming comfortable enough with each other to the point that they addressed the other without honorifics.

"Ni-san would probably just laugh about it, but Daisuke-kun would use that as another reason to hate me."

Takeru sighed, and Hikari knew that the uneasiness had found them once agaiin. She wondered if they would ever escape it, and wondered if she and Takeru would ever reach a point to where it was just the two of them again with nothing else mattering. She felt as if she was chasing the dragon. (1)

"He doesn't hate you."

The whole atmosphere they were in contrasted so much with the wacky shenanigans that were happening on the game show. Neither of the teens were paying attention to it.

"He doesn't even talk to me anymore."

What they would give to feel the wackiness.

"You know how Daisuke is, once he gets over," Takeru paused as he tried to think of the thing that would be easier on the both of them if he if said it,"what happened, then everything will be okay again."

Hikari nodded not really buying into his answer, and neither of them said anything for a moment. Hikari decided to ask the question that had been on her mind for a long time already. Once she had said it she knew that now had not been the best time.

"Are you over it?"

Takeru, not really hungry, reached into the bag of chips and grabbed one before he put it in his mouth. He chewed it slowly not really sure if he should be honest with Hikari, but once he saw the look that she had on her face he knew that he couldn't lie to her. He felt like sighing, but he didn't.

"No, it's hard sometimes whenever I see you."

It was something that he didn't want to acknowledge, but he knew that it was true. Whenever he saw her in school or with the chosen, even with Ayano at his side, he didn't like the feeling that he got inside of himself. He didn't know why she still had such a hold over him.

"So you don't want to see me anymore?"

It was an ugly truth hearing what Takeru said, and Hikari knew that even though more questions would only be more painful, she decided to ask it anyways. Leaving something like that unanswered would only be more painful in the long run, and Hikari thought it was best just to get everything out of the way.

"That's not the problem."

She didn't know what to think. Whenever something like that was the response to a question, then the answer could only be something that was either much more terrible or much better on the other end of the spectrum.

"Then what is?"

Another question; another way to break her heart.

"I want to see you too much."

That wasn't even close to what she expected to hear, and honestly the sweetness touched her. She forced back her smile, and looked at how uncomfortable Takeru was. Even after all this time Takeru still cared about her. Hikari thought herself stupid for ever denying him.

"Oh."

More silence. The show on the TV had flickered to a commercial.

"You don't have to worry about that anymore though," Takeru broke the silence not really wanting to linger in the tension anymore, "I'm going after Ayano."

Hikari let the words sink in. Takeru was done with her, and now he was making a conscious effort to get with another girl. She didn't know if it was her own bias talking, but she didn't think that Takeru fit as good with Ayano as he did with herself.

"Do you love her?"

Takeru bit the inside of his cheek as he watched as the commercials ended and the game show started again. Maybe Ayano wouldn't be above embarrassing herself on national television if she got to compete by his side. He had to remember to give his father a call.

"I like her."

He was avoiding the question, and both of them knew that.

"That's not what I asked."

She had called him out, and he had become silent. She knew that the way he was now looking at the TV that he was only pretending to watch it, and she wondered if she had pushed him too far. Things between them had been rocky for a while now, and if she antagonized him then things would only get rockier.

"She's good for me."

That was what Daisuke, Natsuko, and so many other people thought. Hikari had tried to brush it off, but she knew that what she had with Takeru was unhealthy. Both of them had experienced their own versions of heartache because of what happened, and the ugliness would only get worse if they didn't do anything about it. Ayano was either the thing that would help to mend or further damage her relationship to Takeru, and Hikari still had to figure out which one it was.

"That's what your ka-san said. I think she really liked Ayano-chan."

She was avoiding the answer, and both of them knew that.

"Yeah she loved her," at this nothing was said and Takeru knew that he had to either talk further or change the subject. Eventually no matter what he did he knew that the subject would drift back to Ayano either by his or Hikari's fault. He loved talking about and to Ayano, everything about her interested him. She was: beautiful, creative, kind, intelligent, polite, and a multitude of other things that drove Takeru to be attracted to her, but still he sighed at this thought. She wasn't Hikari.

"You know I'm meeting her family tomorrow."

Personally Hikari thought that things with Takeru and his new love interest were moving much too fast, especially since Ayano had barely met his mother the previous day. It was as if they were trying to rush into something that neither of them had thought out. Hikari dreadfully wondered if Takeru would ever elope with this girl, but then she was calmed at the thought that Ayano would most likely never do such a thing. For the first time Hikari was glad that the artist girl was so prissy.

"So soon?"

In Hikari's opinion it was much too soon, but to be fair she would always think that it was too soon. She wondered when she had become so possessive of Takeru. The thought soured when she figured that she became possessive about around the time that Ayano had entered their lives. The thought grew to be more than sour; it was bitter.

"Yeah she wants to be official. Wish me luck Hikari-chan."

She ignored the way that he addressed her, and ate another chip. It was disgusting.

"You don't need luck Takeru, all parents love you."

She smiled at him, and Takeru knew that it had been forced, but still it was the thought that counts. At least now Hikari seemed to be starting to get more supportive of his growing relationship to Ayano. He started to hope that this wouldn't encourage Hikari to start dating. It was an ugly thought.

"I'm serious, wish me luck."

He laughed, but the same way that Takeru knew that Hikari's smile had been forced, she knew that his laugh was. He was nervous, apprehensive, and she figured it had something to do with meeting Ayano's family. Despite his own broken family, Hikari knew that it was the most important thing to Takeru.

"Why's that?"

He bit the inside of his cheek again, but a moment later decided that he would reveal to Hikari what had been on his mind. From the corner of his eye he noticed that another woman was covered in fish guts. How disgusting.

"I'm not suitable boyfriend material."

At first Hikari thought that Takeru was joking, but when she saw how serious he was, she knew that something had led Takeru to believe that. Maybe it was the disparity in wealth that did it? No, Takeru didn't think that way. Either way if Takeru really didn't think that he was boyfriend material, then he was being stupid. He was the sweetest person that she knew, and he had the kindest heart of anyone that she had known. It also didn't hurt that he was handsome. Hikari wished that she had seen it earlier.

"What makes you think that Keru?"

He sighed not really wanting to give Hikari the answer, but he knew that he would since he had already told her enough. He didn't know if he could still say that she was his best friend, but somehow he knew that he could still tell her anything.

"Ayano told me so."

The words didn't compute in her head when she first heard them, because honestly she thought that she had heard everything wrong. Though once she understood, Hikari was understandably angry. This Ayano girl was supposed to be the one helping Takeru get over his heartbreak, and now she was telling him that he wasn't good enough to be a boyfriend. Where the hell did she come off? If Hikari had been the more violent type then she would have instantly marched over to where the artist girl lived to kick her ass.

"She's stupid."

What made Hikari angrier than Ayano telling Takeru that he wasn't suitable enough to date was the fact that Takeru didn't seem to care. Takeru was honestly the best person for anyone to date that she knew, and anyone would be lucky to have him. Ayano was lucky to have him; Hikari could have been lucky.

"She's right."

She glared at Takeru angry that he would even suggest such a thing. He was so much better than just 'suitable'. There was no reason that he had to think of himself below that.

"You don't have to defend her."

Takeru made the mistake of looking at Hikari and he saw the conflicted look she had in her eyes. He knew that she wanted to say so much more than she was actually saying, and he thought that it was best if maybe she kept everything inside at the moment. What she wanted to say was most likely terrible things about Ayano, and Takeru knew that he didn't want to hear that. It was his duty to defend Ayano; nobody else would.

"I'm a foreigner with no money that comes from a broken family. I'm not exactly the perfect person to go out with."

She hated hearing the way that he spoke so low of himself. The way he depreciated himself made her insides turn, and she knew with all her heart that Takeru hated it as well. He wasn't even a foreigner only having a little European blood, and if Ayano was saying something like that to him, then she wasn't as good a girlfriend as everyone thought she would be. She wondered what Natsuko would think.

"That's stupid Takeru."

A pause; yet another commercial. Probably the last one before the show ended.

"I would've thought that you'd agree with her that I wasn't the perfect person to date."

Her eyes were tearing a little at the way that he had intentionally hurt her. He had done so on purpose, and she was surprised that the boy would even say something like that to her. Had he always been this way, and she just never noticed it until they were drifting apart? No. Things were just different between them now, and honestly Hikari doubted that they would ever be the same.

"That's low Takeru," she made sure to not look at him; that would just be too difficult, "I'm leaving".

However, before she got up, Hikari felt him grab and gently pull her down. That gentleness was surprising, and for a moment she felt some déjà vu.

"Look that's not the point I was trying to make."

She sighed, and she still didn't look at him.

"Then what was?"

"She told me that those were things her Otousan would say, but think about it she still wants to be with me," Takeru paused for effect and so that she would get the hint, "she really cares about me Hika, I want you to know that."

He had used his old nickname for her, and Hikari was conflicted. She hated the honorifics coming from him, but now he had dropped them once again. However, she didn't forget the fact that he had dropped them in the course of talking about how much Ayano had cared about him. It was bitter, but at least the atmosphere was a little less uneasy.

"And you care about her?"

She didn't want to ask the question, and she didn't want to hear the answer. Although this may be the only way that things could be fixed between them again. No matter what happened, she at least wanted to be his friend.

"Yeah."

Hikari noticed that the show had started back up again on the TV. It was one of the most ridiculous things that she had ever seen.

"Then go after her Takeru."

It was not something that he expected, but it was something that he had wanted to hear for a long time. So this was it, Hikari supporting his relationship with another girl. Was that his last chance to be with Hikari going out the window? Selfishly he hoped that it wasn't.

"Are you serious?"

She smiled, and her next statement was a lie and truth wrapped into one.

"I want you to be happy."

Takeru smiled at her, and Hikari felt her heart flutter. Maybe she would never date Takeru, but at least she knew that they were at least friends again. She had caught the dragon.

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><p>Author's single note:<p>

Chasing the dragon refers to a term for a heroine addict who after feeling the first high from the drug, which by all accounts is the greatest feeling of all time, they keep chasing that feeling which is something they can never again achieve.

P.S. how was this chapter?


	11. Chapter 11

Leon here with another installment of **_Distance_**, and I want to thank all my readers who are enjoying this story; especially my reviewers. First of all I want to say that I've actually been rather surprised at the, mostly, warm reception that Ayano has received, and I say this because most people, myself included, on a whole seem to not like original characters. On that note I would like to add that this chapter is a Takeru/Ayano one, and that is just to add more confliction on how this story is going to end. There have been those who have expressed me wanting to end this story as a Takari regardless of what precedes it, and there are others who prefer the ending that comes with Takeru and Ayano being together. Chapters like this, at least in my opinion which I respect, work to make the eventual outcome harder for both sides.

Disclaimer: Don't own digimon.

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><p>Takeru found it weird to be going to a house to meet Ayano's family since pretty much everyone he knew, with the exception of Ayano herself of course, lived in an apartment. When he made it to the address that she had written on the piece of paper that Takeru was holding he had to do a double take since the description that she had given didn't really match what he saw. The 'house' was better described as a small mansion, and suddenly he felt extremely underdressed since he was dressed casually wearing only: jeans, a generic looking shirt, a jacket, and one of his trusty hats; this week's model being a flat cap that he had bought the other day. He was intimidated as he looked around at how grandiose, yet oddly refined her home looked, and as he made his way to the front gate of her property he had the slightest inclination that maybe wearing a hat to meet the parents of the girl he wanted to date would rub them the wrong way.<p>

He walked up to the front gate, and as he was still deciding whether or not to pocket his hat, he pressed the buzzer to the intercom so that the gates would be unlocked for him; needless to say, he was surprised at he heard. There was a response on the intercom, but instead of hearing someone sophisticated speak to him as he would have expected; it sounded like two little girls were arguing. Takeru stood dumbfounded as he didn't really know what to do, and he found himself not liking the way he straightened up when he finally heard someone clearly address him over the intercom. There was a slight thought in the back of his mind that this type of life wasn't meant for him; that thought was quickly squashed.

"Hey are you nee-chan's boyfriend?"

He was about to answer the somewhat awkwardly asked question, but stopped when he heard a familiar voice chastise the little girl who had spoken. Takeru stifled a laugh finding it more than a bit funny hearing Ayano scold her, at least what he assumed anyways, little sister. Honestly it somewhat reminded him of Sora the way that Ayano sounded so very mom-like in that instant.

"Sorry about that Takeru-kun, I'll let you in."

The sound of a click later, Takeru found himself walking through the now open gate, and as he made his way to her front door, he found himself not liking the way that Ayano had addressed him. Granted Ayano was a stickler for manners, to the point where Takeru was sometimes annoyed by it, but the way she had said his name was much too formal for his taste. As he was about to knock on her front door, Takeru smiled when he saw Ayano open it. However, looking over her shoulder he could see two little girls, twins no less, trying to get a good view of him; he figured that their presence was why she had added the –kun.

"Hey."

To his delight it took just one word from him to get her to brightly smile, and as Ayano let him in Takeru took notice at how she was dressed. Honestly he was unsurprised that she was wearing a kimono with a floral design, but he felt both oddly underdressed and very intrigued when he saw how she had styled her hair. He had expected her to go for a more complex look, but what Ayano had done seemed to go for a surprisingly inelegant one instead. Her long hair seemed mostly normal with the exception of two long braids casually bordering each side of her face; what it lacked in grace it made up for in charm and Takeru admired it until he took a look at her figure. In a way that embarrassed even him, he thought it was shameless that all he wanted to do at the moment was see how Ayano looked without her kimono on. He wondered, when did he become such a pervert?

He went in for a kiss, but Takeru was surprised when Ayano stopped him and backed away. He glanced at her to see what was up with her since she was being a little distant with him, and she gave him a look that he thought meant something along the lines of 'not now'. Hearing giggling he looked over her shoulder, and saw the two little girls laughing at his misfortune. Truth be told, he didn't like Ayano's little sisters all that much from what he had seen of them, but he smiled making sure to put a good impression on all of his, hopefully, future girlfriend's family.

Takeru watched as Ayano backed away from him a little more, and he was amused at what happened next. She grabbed her two younger sisters and pushed them forward in Takeru's direction. He heard her whisper to them to introduce themselves, and then she started fussing with their hair and kimonos. He thought it was cute in an extremely overbearing sort of way, and he chuckled at the way the two girls seemed highly annoyed by their sister.

"Good evening, it is a pleasure to meet you," the girls paused as the one to Takeru's left spoke first, "I'm Ayako," there was a second pause and it seemed to signal that it was the other girl's turn, "and I'm Ayame," yet another pause, a breath, and both girl's again, "we hope that you enjoy yourself."

Personally, Takeru thought that the introduction sounded much too rehearsed because of the way that the two girls had spoken at the same time, but he found the respect they were showing to be even stranger due to their earlier snickering. They had their hands clasped in their laps with their eyes looking downwards as both of them bowed long and deep in a formal manner. Following their lead, Takeru removed his hat and put his hands at his side as he returned the bow.

With introductions aside Takeru decided that it was best if he just held onto his hat instead of putting it back on, and when he glanced back at Ayano she seemed to be pleased with her younger sisters. He watched as she shooed them away, and after taking off his shoes he put on some extra slippers that seemed to be set out for him. They stood awkwardly for a moment since Takeru didn't really know what to do on account of his feeling extremely out of place, but he felt better when Ayano smiled at him and led the way for them as they began to walk around her home to dawdle away at the time.

After a bit of walking around all the corridors that Ayano had in her 'house' one thing stuck out to Takeru; the art. The walls were covered with paintings and framed drawings to the point where it covered nearly every inch of every wall, but they stopped when they reached one wall in particular that had only a single painting hung up; and a small marble table in front of it. Takeru was going to say something, but thought better of it when he saw what was on the table: a place for incense, a plate of freshly made food, a name carved into the marble, and a photograph of a teenage boy.

Ayano went down on her knees in front of the marble table, and lit some incense before doing a small prayer. She didn't expect Takeru to follow her example since he had no idea what she was doing, but she was glad that he was being respectful and quiet. She felt bad since she was barely considering the fact that she might have put him in an uncomfortable position, and as she stood back up and Takeru she made sure to stand closer to him than necessary; somehow she knew that Takeru understood what she had just done.

"Do you like it?"

Takeru looked up at the painting knowing that that was what she was referring to, and he honestly wasn't lying knowing that he was going to say that he liked it. It wasn't that large of a painting, but he thought that it was fitting that it was alone on an otherwise empty wall. It was a painting of outer space; or rather a mound of dirt with a wilting flower growing on it as it was floating through outer space. Everything was so barren and so dark, but that single speck of color that was the flower in the mound seemed to define something that was very dear to him that ran the risk of sounding very cliché; hope.

"It's beautiful."

He looked down at Ayano, and he felt a twinge of bittersweet happiness when he saw her equally bittersweet smile. She was happy, but at the same time he could tell that she wasn't, and Takeru grabbed her hand since he wanted to let her know that he was there for her. She blushed and looked away from him, and Takeru was satisfied knowing he had succeeded.

"I think so too," Takeru noticed that she paused seeming like she wasn't sure if she wanted to finish what she was saying or not. He squeezed her hand, and felt something flutter inside him like it hadn't since Hikari when Ayano squeezed back, "it was the last thing Denjiro painted before he died."

As something inside Takeru stirred, he couldn't help but feel partially guilty that he had forgotten about Ayano's dead brother. Now that he was thinking about it, he remembered when it actually happened during their first year of high school. Ayano had been in the same class as Daisuke, Hikari, and himself, and it was barely now that he recalled how his almost girlfriend had taken a few weeks of school off following Denjiro's death.

He had no idea how he would take it if Yamato died, but Takeru knew that part of him would have died along with his brother. The two of them had talked about Denjiro a few times before, half of those times with Ayano almost crying, and the part that always rang through Takeru's mind was Ayano's soft comments that Denjiro had died too violently. She said it so softly it was to a point where it seemed that maybe she didn't even believe her own words; that or she hoped that her own words weren't true.

Takeru gave Ayano a tug on her hand, and that was to let her know that maybe it would be best if they wandered off to a different part of the house. She seemed to silently agree with him, and began to walk with Takeru, still holding his hand, as she led him to show him something else. Even though he didn't actually say it, Takeru was starting to wonder what Ayano's other brother was going to think of him.

After a few more minutes of seemingly aimless walking the two of them ended up in what Takeru would have assumed was Ayano's living room due to the couches and the larger than necessary television. They sat down, neither of them actually wanting to watch anything, and they started to settle in and get comfortable with each other. However, said comfort was broken when Takeru felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Reaching into said pocket, Takeru pulled out his cell phone, and then he started grinning when he saw the text message. It was from Hikari, naturally of course, and the message was one wishing him luck with Ayano's family, and the end of the message even included one of those emoticons that look like its screaming. His smile was still huge and he was about to text back, but then stopped when he felt Ayano shuffle beside him.

"Tell Hikari-chan I said hello."

Hearing that the tone of Ayano's voice seemed to imply that she didn't actually want to say hello to Hikari, Takeru thought better of what he was doing and put away his phone. His evening with Ayano was starting to get pretty intimate in the emotions section, but now, with a single text message from Hikari, it seemed like everything was all for naught. However, he didn't blame his best friend since it's not like she sent him something with the intent of getting Ayano mad, but Takeru felt like punching himself in the face knowing that everything was his fault instead.

"How did you know it was Hikari?"

He knew he made another mistake when he saw how Ayano stiffened beside him, and he wished that she didn't take things with Hikari as personally as she did. He knew that it was hard and somewhat unfair of him to ask Ayano to be okay with his relationship with Hikari due to the many times he declared he was in love with her, but it was also unfair of Ayano to expect him to completely drop his best friend. His life had been full of Hikari, and even though he was now fitting a new girl into the mix, he knew that there was no way he could ever drop his old friend.

"Hikari?"

He sighed. This was not something that he wanted to talk, or argue, about with Ayano. They had had enough discussions about Hikari, most of them including Ayano bad mouthing her, and frankly Takeru was starting to get sick of it. There was no reason for them to talk about Hikari; she was a thing of the past. At least he thought so anyways.

"We made up."

Ayano looked away from him, and she couldn't help but feel insecurity bubbling up at the thought of Takeru and Hikari making up. Takeru had expressed love for her, not platonic but full scale love for Hikari, and Ayano knew she would never be fully okay with Takeru and her being friends. She wouldn't ask Takeru to ditch Hikari, but she made sure that he knew that his relationship to Hikari would hurt her at times. It was up to Takeru what he wanted to do.

"How come the only time you ever smile like that is when she's involved?"

Takeru opened his mouth to protest, but then closed it not really knowing what to say. He didn't even know that he was smiling, and yet it was true that he was. He stayed quiet hating the way that such an intimate time had now become a time of pointless arguing. He hated how Ayano ever so slightly moved away from him on the couch, but what he hated more was what she said next.

"If you're not serious about me, then I think it's better if you left before dinner."

He looked over at Ayano, and it bothered him that she was refusing to look at him back. What she had said was a challenge to him, and Takeru knew that he was going to do whatever he could to prevail in this challenge. For him, there was no other recourse.

"I'm not leaving."

He watched Ayano bite her lower lip as if she was thinking about what to do. She still didn't look at him, and she still didn't move any closer to him, but Takeru began to eye her as she straightened out her kimono. For a couple seconds all he could think about was how Ayano would look if said kimono was no longer on her body. Takeru shook off such thoughts before they interfered with what was going on.

"Do you still love her?"

It was obvious who Ayano was referring to, but honestly the question caught Takeru off guard. It was something that he hadn't thought about in a long time, it was something he had forced himself not to think about, and now that it was asked point blank he didn't know what to say.

"As a friend."

To say that Ayano seemed frustrated with his answer was an understatement, but her reaction actually surprised Takeru since he never expected something like that to come from her. She stared him down with eyes that were hurt and angry, and the look in said eyes made Takeru's insides turn in pain at the realization that he could cause such a look in a person that he cared about. He almost shivered when he heard her voice.

"Don't feed me that shit Takeru."

Takeru's eyes met Ayano's, and he knew what he had to do. His stupidity was causing pretty much everyone he knew, including himself, pain, and there was still a naïve side inside of him that still believed that love could fix this pain; that love still existed.

"I don't love her Aya."

It was an answer that both of them were surprised to hear, and yet it was an answer that both of them accepted. As soon as it came out of his mouth the tension between what they had been talking about seemed to disappear, and they began to once again get comfortable on the couch as they had been doing before Hikari came up in conversation. Honestly neither of them knew whether or not what Takeru had said was a lie, but as Ayano was leaning on him, as they let it sink in how much they cared about the other, they were willing to be naïve if it meant believing said lie. Maybe that's what love really is.

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><p>Well I would gladly like to know what you guys thought about the chapter that I just wrote. I hope it works to add the confliction that I wanted to bring into this story, and I suppose I should ask if there are any ways that any of you guys want to see me go? Be vocal if there's something you want to see happen in the story.<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

Alright, you know the name already and here I am with the latest chapter of this story. One reviewer said that I didn't have enough Takeru/Ayano "happy scenes", so I figured why not make this chapter one of those (mostly anyways) scenes? It is my goal to put that relationship in a good light so that when the eventuality comes, that it makes it all the more difficult to what you readers want to final relationship to be. Concerning the next chapter though, it will be a nice Takari one that is less depressing than the others. Also, one thing that you guys might really like, I assume that you will is the chapter after the next one is one that I am to be a lighthearted Takari one. Also I want to incorporate some of the older Chosen pretty soon.

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon. If I did I'd be working on Xros or whatever season digimon is currently on. I kind of stopped paying attention after the first two digimon adventures.

P.S. I lagged on the update of this chapter because of the release of Skyrim. It's taken pretty much almost all of my free time. It's just so fun assassinating everyone!

P.P.S Also look up Ouroboros if you haven't already.

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><p>Takeru didn't know how much longer he had to wait before he met Ayano's parents, never having actually been told at what time they were going to eat dinner, and with her leaning on him he was starting to get a little antsy. Her body felt warm against his, warm almost always being a very nice thing, but her body was precisely the reason why he was feeling restless. She was undeniably pretty, a fact that he knew many people agreed with him on, and Takeru had more than once gotten frisky with her. It never escalated into anything sexual, at least not yet, but Takeru felt that a little making out wouldn't do them any harm. Well, at least if they went somewhere where they wouldn't be caught that is.<p>

"Hey, how many rooms does this place have?"

After a few moments he heard her make a noise that was the combination of a yawn and a comfortable sigh, and he surprisingly found himself annoyed at how she repositioned herself on him. Though, the only reason that he didn't like it was because they were too much in the open for the two of them to do anything that even hinted at intimacy. Takeru even personally thought that lying on a couch together almost dozing off was much too familiar a position to be seen in if anyone caught them, but he kept that to himself assuming that Ayano would move somewhere else if he brought it up.

"I don't know I've never counted," Ayano paused and began fidgeting with one of her braids not really knowing where Takeru was going with his question. Sure, it could have been just idle small talk, but she had a tiny suspicion that this wasn't really the case. Takeru was up to something that he was trying to be sneaky with, and now she was curious to what it was, "Why?"

Twirling his finger around one of Ayano's braids, the one that she herself wasn't fiddling with of course, Takeru debated whether or not to just tell her what he had been thinking about. If he was lucky she would be keen on the idea and try it out with him, but Takeru assumed that she would just laugh it off and say that now wasn't the best time for it. If there was one thing he hated about her was that she was a stickler for doing things in a certain time and place according to a certain schedule or plan. If something was, as she would say anyways, inappropriate concerning the time of day and location, Ayano would refuse to do it.

"Can we go somewhere more private?"

She smiled since she now clearly knew what Takeru wanted, and she pondered on whether or not it would be wise to give in. True, it would be fun if the two of them snuck off and messed around before dinner, but on the other hand it would be much smarter and safer to just not do anything until they were somewhere else where they wouldn't have any chance of being caught. She didn't like saying no to Takeru, but Ayano figured that it would be for the best if they just ignored their hormones for now. However, that didn't mean that she couldn't tease him of course.

"And why do you want to be somewhere private Takaishi-san?"

Takeru held back a smile after hearing the tone of Ayano's voice, and he felt as if he had an actual shot of getting to mess around with her for at least a little bit. And with this hope in his mind, Takeru decided that it was in his best interest to play along with Ayano; it wasn't often that his almost girlfriend was in the mood to sneak around.

"You'll find out when we get there Oshiro-san. It's a surprise."

He heard her laugh, all the while Takeru now knowing that he and Ayano weren't going to go sneak off anytime soon, but honestly he suddenly felt okay with this. Just being with her made up for it; just getting to spend time with her made up for pretty much everything. It was an effect that Hikari used to have on him before things had gotten painful, and now that someone else was able to cause that same feeling in him, to cause that same calmness, he didn't know what to think of it. He felt as if he had lost an integral part of himself that made his relationship with Hikari as special as it was, but Takeru thought that maybe this was for the best. Maybe it was time to grow up; maybe it was time to completely move on.

"We don't have time Takeru."

What followed Ayano's comment was that same comfortable sigh that was actually starting to grow on Takeru, and thinking about it he actually silently agreed with her. They would be called to dinner soon and then he would have to prove that he was dating material to her parents. It was something that made him nervous, and Takeru didn't want to leave a bad impression. If he did then this thing that he had with Ayano, this thing that he didn't actually know the proper word for, would be gone.

"You know what we do have time for though right?"

Hearing another question from Takeru that she didn't really know the reason behind him asking it perked Ayano's interest yet again, so she responded him with an inquisitive "hmmm". However, after a moment she felt his hand drop away from twirling her braid, and she was slightly disappointed until she noticed how Takeru was repositioning himself. She couldn't help but once again laugh as he rolled her under him, and as much as she tried she couldn't stop herself from smiling as Takeru's face was now barely an inch away from hers.

"Alright Keru, what do we have time for?"

Instead of answering her, he kissed her neck and felt a surge of happiness at hearing her laughter at the contact. There was something about it that made everything feel all the less heavy in his life, and Takeru decided that he would do anything he could just to hear that sound again. It reminded him of how Yamato used to closely hold him when they were younger listening to their parent's fighting, and that laughter, like Yamato, eased something inside him. It made the feelings he had for Ayano, the feelings he was still afraid would never reach the heights of the ones he felt for Hikari, seem all the more real. It took his mind off of things that hurt just too much to think about.

"Nono!"

Takeru looked up in the direction of a voice that had just shouted curious to who it was, but then his mind went completely to Ayano when she pushed him off of her. He watched as she stood up from the couch to straighten out her hair and kimono, and Takeru decided to just get up and follow her lead. Ayano seemed annoyed at whoever it was, and after she looked at Takeru and rolled her eyes, the both of them were glad that they had never actually snuck off to mess around.

He didn't take his eyes off of her, personally thinking that nothing was better to look at in the room than she was, but this changed when he noticed her eyes had drifted elsewhere in the room; when he noticed that someone was in there with them.

"Hey, food's ready."

Takeru looked at the teenager that had addressed Ayano, and he started to take in all the details that he could about him. There was something in the way that this guy carried himself, something that Takeru could see in this guy's stance and gait, and it was as if he held himself as being important. Takeru felt like giving a tired sigh at being confronted with the possibility of being part of the old cliché of being looked down upon by some rich kid, but he kept it inside feeling the need that he had to impress what he figured was Ayano's still living brother.

"Hello, my name is Takaishi Takeru, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

Takeru gave a slight bow as he was the one who introduced himself first seeing as Ayano's brother made no effort to get things rolling, and he actually felt very insulted at the way that this guy, a stranger to him, ignored him and spoke to Ayano instead.

"This guy? Really Nono?"

In any other situation Takeru would have probably made a joke about Ayano's apparent nickname that her brother had for her, but his mind was still trying to digest the rudeness that was dished out to him. He thought himself a pretty nice guy and made sure to go out of his way to treat people with kindness, and Takeru was greatly bothered at how someone could show him such disrespect. He was hoping that Ayano's family would be more like she was, being modest despite all the wealth, but he was disappointed with what he had seen of her brother.

"His name is Takeru."

He was at least glad that Ayano had corrected her brother, but the look that said brother gave on hearing how familiar she was with his name was not lost on Takeru. He didn't know what to think of the look of disgust that was given, or was it one of protectiveness? But Takeru found that there was something that was oddly rewarding about the reaction of his fellow teenager.

It was then that the stranger in question, at least to Takeru anyways, studied the blonde for a moment, judged him for more than that, and finally seemed as if he was ready to speak to him. He was glad that Goro had given him a heads up to watch out for Takeru, and he wasn't sure why his sister would go for the kind of guy that he was described as. If Goro was to be trusted then Takeru was still hung up on an ex-girlfriend or something like that, and he knew that his sister deserved better than to be reduced to being some guy's second choice.

"You can call me Masato-san."

Okay, so now Takeru was confused. The honorific of –san was in most circumstances reserved for a person to refer to someone who was their elder, but he was pretty sure that Masato wasn't any older than he was. From the look of Masato's face he seemed to be around the same age as him, and Takeru just let out the sigh that he had forced away earlier since he didn't want to deal with this guy's crap right now. He was having a nice time with a girl who he had a not so official relationship with, and now this over privileged douche had to go and kill the mood.

"Don't be an ass."

She had told him not to be rude when he met Takeru, and Ayano was annoyed with her brother since she hoped that at least this once Masato would listen to her. Whenever she was interested in someone, especially if she liked them enough to introduce to her family, Masato would always be less than accommodating to whoever it was. Ayano knew that her brother was not a fan of the idea of her being in a relationship with some boy, but she felt that he needed to lay off since it wasn't his decision whether or not she became involved with someone. Although, she did somewhat see where her brother was coming from. Siblings have to protect each other; whether it's: a big brother to a little sister, older sister to a baby brother, or even twins watching out for one another as was her situation with Masato. No matter what, siblings have to be there.

"I'm not. I'm just treating a member of the lower class the way he deserves to be treated."

Did this guy seriously believe the crap he was saying? Takeru shared a glance with Ayano, and the way that she rolled her eyes at what her brother said made him think that maybe Masato was just trying to push his buttons. What confused him though was the fact that Masato, a person that he had never even spoken to before, seemed to dislike him. In his experience most people were quite taken with him, and the people who weren't tended to come around after a while. The most notable example being Daisuke, who after initially showing little more than dislike for him, actually became a pal that he could trust and rely on. Would he have the same effect on Masato? For Ayano's sake, he hoped so.

From here there was an air of tension in the room seeing as Masato seemed as he had nothing else to say about Takeru, and seeing as Takeru didn't want to say anything rude in return. Being mean-spirited was something that Takeru just didn't have inside of him, and regardless of the treatment that he received from Masato there was no way that he could act the same way as him. It was only a coincidental bonus that Ayano would view him as the bigger person for 'keeping his cool' even though Takeru was honestly never close to losing it. Though, judging from her exasperated sigh, Ayano was a different story.

"Can you just tell everyone we'll be there soon?"

Masato looked like he was about to protest, but the glare that he received from his sister made him feel that maybe it was best to just leave. Ayano herself was glad when her brother just nodded and left, and she made a small wish inside her that Takeru wouldn't be offended enough to the point where he wanted nothing to do with her. It had happened in the past, Masato knowing very well how to play the douche if the occasion called for it, and she hoped that his plan didn't work as good on Takeru.

"Hey, are you alright Keru?"

Well Masato was gone, and Ayano was nervously biting her lip as she looked at him, and Takeru found himself not knowing what to say. Everything had happened so quickly, though at the same time felt quite tedious, and he decided it would be best if he just nervously laughed and gave a small smile to Ayano. In a way that sounds redundant, Takeru was relieved when his tiny action made Ayano look relieved. Life is a cycle repeating itself; one might be reminded of Ouroboros, the tail-eater.

"Was he serious?"

"Just ignore him, he does that with every boy I like."

Every boy she likes. He didn't really know what to make of it. Did he find it amusing? Quite so. Did he find himself slightly bothered at the idea of Ayano liking someone else other than him? Indeed.

It was something that he had never really thought about until now, and Takeru knew that it wouldn't be easy to get out of his mind. Just the thought of her kissing someone else in the way that she kissed him when they were alone, just thinking of her whispering someone's name that wasn't his, it just all felt ugly.

"Every boy huh?"

Ayano raised an eyebrow. Was this jealously she heard? Something like that easily summarized her own sentiments towards Hikari, who even after all this time still had a hold on Takeru, and Ayano would have been lying if she said that it didn't feel good. Takeru being envious proved that at least he cared; even just the tiniest bit.

"Don't worry Takeru, you're still my favorite."

Takeru eyed her for a moment feeling as if she was up to something. She had that playful tone in her voice that gave him just the smallest clue to what she wanted, and he decided, just as he had before, to play along with her.

"Oh yeah? And why is that?"

Ayano, in a way that was uncharacteristic of her, smirked. She had him where she wanted him.

"You're the prettiest one."

As soon as she said this she whipped around and began walking down the hallway in the direction that her brother had gone. It was not something that Takeru had expected her to say, but he found himself grinning at the way that she turned an almost ugly situation into a lighthearted one. He watched as Ayano looked over her shoulder to flash him a smile prompting Takeru to just follow right behind her, and he did the only thing that he could. He laughed.

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><p>So I debated whether or not to actually show Takeru meeting Ayano's parents, but I decided not to, and you'll see why I did that in the next chapter. Don't be fooled though the next chapter, as is the one right after it, is a Takari one. I think that all Takari fans, which should be pretty much everyone reading this story, are going to like them. Tell me how I did this round?<p>

P.S. I watched that show Hey Arnold! today which was on TV earlier, and I felt a nice nostalgic sentiment inside of me since I haven't seen that show since I was a kid. 90's cartoons are the best. No question about it.


	13. Chapter 13

So this is the latest chapter, and I hope it came out acceptable. I did write something completely different for this earlier, but I so disliked the outcome that I scrapped it and wrote this instead. I have different directions pooling in my head for where to take this. I do remember earlier that people wanted a scene with some of the older Chosen in it and yeah I'm going to be doing that in a few chapters when I can organically and realistically fit it in. Anything else you guys want for future chapters? Oh, and one last thing. I said that this chapter was going to be a Takari one, but it was more friendship based than anything really. I did write a Takari chapter, but like I said I think it came out badly so I just scrapped it and pumped this out instead. Next chapter for sure though since I already have something planned for it.

Disclaimer: Don't own digimon.

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><p>Hikari looked towards the front door of Miyako's apartment, and she bit her lip knowing that it was much too late for Takeru to show up even though all of the younger team had scheduled to hang out. The annoying thing about it though was that he hadn't even been official with his new girlfriend for week yet, and he was already being flaky with all his old friends. It wasn't just with them either, Takeru had dropped all the plans he had with some of the other people in his life, even his own brother, and instead had been spending all his time with his pretty little dumb girlfriend; at least that's how Hikari saw it anyways. Although in all honesty, all biases aside, lately Takeru had barely even acknowledged anyone else other than his new arm candy.<p>

"He's not going to show up you know."

She looked over at Daisuke, who was playing cards with Iori on the coffee table that was directly in front of the couch that she was sitting on, and she wondered how exactly he knew what she was thinking about. Had she been that obvious in her eagerness for Takeru to show up? She hoped that she wasn't, because there were honestly very few things that would come off as pathetic. The guy had a girlfriend now; there was no use in pining over him.

"Yeah, I know."

Hikari had no idea why she was still there 'hanging out' since it was already almost time for her to head home, and she wasn't really doing anything anyways. She was just simply sitting on Miyako's couch watching two guys play cards while she periodically looked over to see if anyone was at the door. Upon thinking about it, it seemed more pathetic than she had originally thought.

"You want me to walk you home?"

Hikari forced a smile for Daisuke to see, and she just watched as he continued his ambiguously long card game with Iori. She was glad that Takeru had been right when he said that Daisuke would eventually warm up to her, but she didn't like that their friendship only seemed to improve after Takeru and Ayano had finally hooked up. It seemed as if she was being pitied by him, and that just made Hikari feel worse about the whole situation. The fact that Takeru having a girlfriend made people feel sorry for her was an ugly thought; especially after some of them subconsciously reminded her that she was the one who rejected him in the first place.

"I'm okay. I think I'm just going to wait for Miyako-san so we can talk for a bit."

Ken and Miyako had snuck off to do God knows for what seemed to be a very long time ago, but it didn't matter to Hikari since she needed to speak with the older girl to get some advice. She needed another female's perspective on what her feelings were on Takeru's new relationship, and Miyako was the only one she felt comfortable going to. Mimi was off in America, but disregarding that she would make it some huge deal and try to convince her that Takeru was her soul mate and that she had to break him and his girlfriend up and all that, but Hikari wasn't in the mood for idealistic sitcom status hijinks; right now she needed a serious discussion. Sadly, she couldn't go to Sora either on account of her dating Yamato. That would just be awkward and would look bad on everyone involved.

"I don't think that she and Ken are going to be done anytime soon."

Hearing what Iori said, Hikari took a curious glance at the back of the boy's head since he was facing away from her. It had always struck her as odd the way that even though Iori was the youngest of the Chosen, in Japan at least, that he was by far one of the most mature. He had delivered his words with a noticeable lack of emotion and interest, but the way he said it held a sort of hidden deeper meaning. It was as if he could tell exactly why people did the things they did; without condoning or condemning.

"What the hell does he even see in her?"

Her eyes landed on Daisuke yet again, and she didn't know whether to be miffed with the implied insult towards Miyako or if she should just ignore it. The two of them had always insulted each other when certain buttons were pushed, but that was how the relationship between Miyako and Daisuke was understood to work. It was never really meant in seriousness and it was something that was honestly to be expected; it was Daisuke's and Miyako's own special little friendship.

"Maybe he's a masochist?"

She honestly couldn't help but giggle a bit at Iori's sardonic response, and with that she decided that he was right in saying that Miyako wasn't going to be able to help her out. Hikari would simply have to wait until tomorrow to see what the older girl's advice was. When it came to dating Miyako had tons more experience.

"I think I'm gonna go now."

Standing up Hikari took a deep breath and puffed her chest out as a way to trick her body into thinking that she was confident; it didn't work. In truth she had spent most of the night being quiet thinking only about Takeru and getting to talk with Miyako, but Hikari did feel slightly grateful towards Daisuke and Iori for providing a nice little distraction. Her mind had ugly thoughts when she contemplated too much on Takeru and Ayano being together. It was something that Hikari had come to hate, and she didn't think that it suited her very well.

"You sure you don't want me to walk you?"

Sure, Daisuke seemed to be mostly preoccupied with his card game, but Hikari was glad that he was being courteous. Politeness wasn't something that was usually expected out of the brash but well-meaning Daisuke, and when he showed that he cared it was always something that was special no matter how miniscule it seemed. Hikari smiled at him knowing that she was going to decline his offer a second time and she had a random thought bubbling inside her knowing that she was grateful to Daisuke for being there for Takeru when he needed somebody; for being there for her when he thought that she needed someone as well.

"I need some time to think."

He simply shrugged in response, and Daisuke continued to stare at the cards in his hand not really knowing how he was going to catch up against Iori. He decided that if he hadn't been distracted by Hikari all evening that he would've beaten Iori quite easily, but the former's apprehensiveness had been just too damn noticeable. Regardless of how angry he had been at Hikari before, there was no way that he couldn't have been concerned for her due to the way that she had been acting lately.

"I summon Kuriboh in attack mode," Daisuke let his words linger as Iori just stared on, and he wondered if this was doing anything to psyche him out. This turn of his had taken longer than it should have. Much longer, "I end my turn."

"Tell Miyako-san I had to leave early okay?"

Both Iori and Daisuke looked over and waved her goodbye, and the latter began contemplating on if there was any way that he could help the girl out. Yeah he hadn't been very friendly with her lately, but he could see how this whole Ayano business was affecting her. Hikari seemed to have lost her confidence, and even though Daisuke still greatly disapproved of how she treated Takeru, he still didn't like seeing her being down on herself. He was still personally against a relationship between Takeru and Hikari, but as Daisuke had seen how Takeru carried himself with a broken heart, how he saw Hikari now carry herself in that same manner, he knew that no one deserved to be unhappy.

"Be safe."

Hikari nodded her head and quietly made her way outside of Miyako's apartment. Things had become so different, and that's what kept bothering her as she began walking to the elevator down the hall. The second that she stepped in said elevator and pushed the button for the ground floor she let her mind wander to things she didn't want to think about; she thought, what was Takeru doing right now with his new girlfriend?

She felt the elevator descend, and the hate began to bubble up again. Even though she knew it was selfish, one of the things she wanted most at the current moment was for Takeru and Ayano to break up. Preferably it would be Takeru would was the dumper instead of the dumped, because she knew that if it were the other way around then Takeru would be devastated. She didn't want him to feel that way again; even if that meant that he ended up being with someone else.

When Takeru gave his heart to someone he gave it in full, and just thinking about that simple fact filled Hikari with regret. It was something that she had taken for granted when he had told her that he loved her, but now that Takeru was giving his heart to someone else, now that someone she had come to hate was receiving that love, she couldn't help but want to take everything back. Rejecting him all the times that she did were some of the mistakes that she wished she could change the most, but the one thing that she wished had never happened above all else was that look that Takeru got in his eyes whenever that rejection happened. She wondered, would the artist girl ever cause that look? As much as she didn't like that someone else was dating Takeru, she hoped that Ayano would never break his heart.

She barely even noticed when the elevator door opened, but when it did, and as she began walking out of Miyako's apartment, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Her heart skipped a beat when she pulled it out to see who it was. Takeru was calling.

"Hey Takeru, what's up?"

There was a sort of giddiness in getting a phone call from Takeru that she was surprised that she never felt before. It used to be something that was normal, but now that it wasn't Hikari was acting as if she was just another swooning schoolgirl. Just the fact that he called let her feel that confidence that she had been lacking so much lately, but it was a bittersweet feeling knowing that it wouldn't last. She knew that this strange thing she felt for Takeru was something that she had to get rid of soon on account of the new development in his love life, and also because she didn't want the jealously that she was feeling to cloud her thoughts anymore. She just wanted for herself what she also wanted for her best friend; happiness.

"What are you doing right now?"

Even though she didn't want to, she couldn't help but smile knowing that he was about to ask her to go do something with him. Even though she didn't want to, she enjoyed it whenever Takeru asked something in a roundabout manner. Her heart skipped another beat.

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><p>Maybe I'll take the scrapped chapter and edit it a bit so I can post it as a one-shot? Yeah, probably not, but I hope that you liked the chapter. Also Yu-gi-oh The Abridged Series is hilarious. Go watch it if you want to laugh.<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

Some of you may already know that my dog was stolen about a month ago (more details on my bio page) and I haven't really been in the writing mood because of it. I'm not trying to find an excuse for being late on the updates, but I'm just giving you guys a reason to let you know that I've kind of lost the heart to keep writing as of now, especially with my less than serious stories. Hope my dog's safe, and if I find the guy who stole him, ima kick his ass. Especially because of the fact that since my dog was taken, two other dogs have been reported missing as well.

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon. Sometimes it pisses me off that I have to say that at the beginning of every chapter, but other times I don't really mind and somewhat enjoy it since it's kind of a staple of writing fanfiction.

P.S. Not to get your hopes up, but I think this is one of my favorite chapters that I've written for this story.

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><p>It was one of those nights in Japan, the kind where the air was cold regardless of how the daytime had been, and the way that the frosty clouds of Hikari's breath formed in front of her only worked to cement in the fact that she should've been home by then. It was much too late out, much too dark, to be out looking for Takeru, and yet here she was going after him as the result of a single phone call. When he had called earlier it was like the butterflies in her stomach couldn't decide whether she was excited or uncomfortable at hearing his voice, so she reluctantly settled for a combination of both with an added dash of nervousness and headed straight for where he said he was.<p>

According to what Takeru had told her he was at a little pond area in one of the several parks that were located in Odaiba, and Hikari felt that uncomfortable sensation pop up again when trying to think of why he had been there. It was a place that the Chosen used to go to a lot when they were younger after Daisuke had accidently discovered it since it was somewhat hidden from the rest of the park, and Hikari didn't like what she assumed had happened. She knew that Takeru had been out with Ayano earlier, but the thought of this random girl, this stranger really to everyone but Takeru, being in this place where the Chosen had spent countless hours of their youth made Hikari feel troubled. She knew it was silly, but it was like Ayano had violated a sacred place; and what's worse, Takeru had helped her.

She didn't like thinking about it since it just reminded Hikari that Takeru was moving on with his life, and it wasn't just from her; lately it seemed as if he was moving on from everything and everyone else. He had been acting more and more distant ever since he started hanging out with Ayano, but this past week Takeru had been downright reclusive in the way that he blew off his friends and family. The situation in and of itself was upsetting to her, but what got Hikari the angriest about everything though was the way that nobody seemed to mind at all. Maybe it was just her jealousy talking, but she thought that the 'honeymoon phase' that everyone said Takeru was in was just, for lack of a better phrase to use, straight up bullshit.

These thoughts though, those ugly feelings, disappeared when she moved passed some shrubbery in the park and walked a little ways more only to find Takeru lying down in the grass staring up at the sky. Hikari smiled since she, despite the underlying selfishness of it, enjoyed the sight of Takeru relaxing without Ayano anywhere near him. She knew that she would have trouble getting her relationship with Takeru back to where it once was, that it would be almost impossible to move passed being just platonic, but hey, a girl can dream right?

"Takeru!"

He sat up when he heard Hikari call his name, and he waved and motioned for her to come over to him when he saw her. Takeru smiled as Hikari made her way to him noting that it was nice seeing her since he didn't really have the chance to do much of that or even talk to her when at school or otherwise on account of the fact that his new girlfriend was taking up almost all of his free time. He didn't really know what to make of it since he had never been a boyfriend to anyone before and he wasn't sure if something like that was supposed to be normal or not, so Takeru decided to just ask Yamato about it later or something and simply stood up from the grass to greet his old friend.

"Hikari," What was meant to be an enthusiastic hello turned into a hug that Takeru initiated, and it wasn't until after a moment that he realized that there was still a certain awkwardness that accompanied such an action. He sheepishly let go of Hikari and let his arms fall to his sides, and Takeru just dropped back into the grass figuring that there wasn't much else that he could do. Despite the cold Japanese air that surrounded them, despite that lingering awkwardness that found itself still floating around, Takeru was happy to see Hikari; to be out here with her, "what's up?"

She smiled at him knowing that Takeru was just making small talk on account of the unsuspected awkward moment, and instead of answering just sat in the spot next to where he was laying down. She honestly didn't mind the hug from Takeru or the somewhat odd feelings that were made all the more evident when he did that, but Hikari was still having certain disconcerting sentiments that she couldn't really put her finger on. Although to be honest, even though she would have preferred to ignore it, she knew that the real reason why she was so uneasy sitting with Takeru in a place where only about an hour ago he had been there with Ayano, was because the air around the pond had a certain ambience of romance to it.

"Did you really call me all the way over here just to say what's up?"

Her voice had that oh so familiar jokey tone that Takeru had come to miss, and he let the sound settle before he spoke at all. It was a noise too dainty to not take the time to appreciate.

"Was Miyako-san mad that I didn't show up?"

"Not that I noticed," Hikari paused for a moment as she shuffled in the grass not really sure if she should say the next part or not, "she was too distracted with Ken."

As Takeru laid there with blades of grass prickling the back of his neck, he let the simple smile that he had on his face remain since what Hikari said was, to put it simply, 'delightful' for all the wrong reasons.

"Poor guy."

Hikari scrunched her eyebrows and looked over at Takeru not really sure where he was going with his statement. He was either going to genuinely be concerned about Ken, which she didn't hold her breath for, or he was going to make a dumb Daisuke-like joke at Miyako's expense.

"Why?"

She was being cautious, and inwardly prepared for the worst. There was little chance that what the blonde was going to say was going to be pretty.

"Miyako raped him again."

She grunted. Damn it, Daisuke.

"If Ken didn't like it, he wouldn't go along with it."

As he laid there in the grass Takeru laughed heartily, more so from the unfortunate yet humorous implications of their conversation than any prickling grass. It had been a long time since he had been able to just sit alone with Hikari and laugh. No drama, no discomfort, no fakeness; just laughter.

"If he didn't go along with it, it'd be me or Daisuke that Miyako-san would sink her claws into."

Like Iori's joke earlier in the night, Hikari couldn't hold in the chuckle knowing that it was all in good fun. She didn't know why she had been so nervous about coming to hang out with him all night, and as she snuck a glance at the boy who was nonchalantly staring at nothing in the sky, Hikari felt as if she had somehow gone back in time. As if she had somehow traversed through yet another unknown dimension.

Here she was with Takeru, at a point she had doubts that they could one day reach again, and there they were sitting with each other, joking with each other, as if nothing had ever happened. It was like the two of them had both silently and subconsciously agreed to ignore all the regrets and poorly handled incidents that had accumulated between them lately, and Hikari was grateful; even if it lasted for just this night.

"Admit it Takeru, you love her."

"Of course," despite all the joking around or brashness that was exchanged between the Chosen, he knew that none of them ever meant it at heart. These people were his truest companions, his family, or as the Italians would put it, his paisans, and Takeru for one was not ashamed to admit it, "I love all you guys."

It was a nice thing to hear, especially since she and the Chosen in generally had seen very little of Takeru since his new relationship had taken off, and she decided to play around in a way that she would have never dared had she not felt so reassured.

"Even me?"

Takeru didn't even need think about his answer.

"Especially you."

It was something to smile about, so Hikari didn't try to hide it despite the cheesiness of it, and despite the fact that right now was a dangerous time to think too much of Takeru's words on account of his girlfriend.

"That's just corny."

The cold air made him shiver for a moment, and as he formed little clouds of nothing when he took a breath, Takeru glanced over at Hikari. She looked a tiny bit cold but she seemed to be fine, so Takeru set his eyes back up to the sky. It seemed so empty without any stars in it.

"I thought girls liked corny?"

"Yeah, but you have a girlfriend Keru. You're only supposed to be corny with her."

Takeru sighed. He seriously didn't want to talk about, or even be reminded about the fact that he had a girlfriend right now. He had decided that he was going to call Ayano later, probably in the morning, but right now he just needed time to think, and just wanted a distraction. What better way to get both than in the form of Hikari?

"Can we please not talk about her right now?"

And just like that, the playful atmosphere that they had set up had vanished. Hikari shuffled in the grass suddenly feeling uncomfortable, and she looked over at Takeru knowing that it was a different type of discomfort than the one she had felt earlier. Before it had been her nervousness and the awkwardness of the situation that she was in that made her uneasy, but now the discomfort came from the fact that something was bothering Takeru.

"Is something wrong?"

His eyes didn't move from the starless sky that he had been looking at all night, and he wondered how it would have appeared with no bustling city or buzzing streetlights to obscure its true form. Of all the billions and billions of stars out there, how many would he see if the sky wasn't clouded with smog from factories, and fluorescent lights from office buildings? As he still stared, Takeru could just imagine it; beautiful.

"Would you date someone that has been with people?"

It was an odd question, but Hikari could tell that it was weighing heavily on Takeru's mind as he asked it. She hoped that it wasn't more serious than it sounded, and she hoped that despite her dislike for the person that he was dating, despite her dislike for Ayano, that she could somehow help Takeru out.

"People date all the time."

"That's not what I mean," This isn't what he wanted to talk or even think about, but it was too late to just say nothing. His conversation with Ayano earlier was still ringing loud in his head, still hurting even though he knew that she wasn't at fault, "like sexually."

Hikari had no idea what to say at first. Ayano didn't really seem like the promiscuous type, but from what she could tell according to what Takeru had said his girlfriend had apparently done things with at least one other guy. He hadn't outright said anything, Hikari knowing that this wasn't really the type of thing that he would want to acknowledge, so she sat and thought for a moment. In front of her was the opportunity to be proactive about Takeru and Ayano breaking up, and being perfectly honest, she was more than tempted to do something about it.

"It's not fair to judge a girl by things she's done before you dated her."

He was still lying down, and Takeru knew that Hikari was right. He hated the idea of Ayano having any boyfriends other than him, but just thinking about the one that she had told him about earlier, the one she had let do all those things to her, Takeru despised him. Even though he wanted to he knew that he couldn't hold it against her, and he just let Hikari's words settle in his mind. He made sure to remind himself to call Ayano on his walk home instead of waiting for morning.

"You know, I don't think I like living in a big city like this."

It was an abrupt change in topic, but Takeru had no doubt that Hikari would go along with it knowing that this abrupt change was something that he needed right now. And as he stared up at the starless sky above him, as he hoped that his eyes wouldn't start to tear up from all the ugly thoughts that he was having, Takeru wondered about the place that his grandmother lived. In the city of Matsue, in the area that used to be Shimane, he wondered if it was still the same little town whose skies were brimming with stars. He wondered, would Ayano like it?

"Why not?"

And under the empty sky, there they sat with only cold air surrounding them, as if nothing was ever going to happen.

"No stars."

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><p>(Something I'm going to post on my bio later, but I feel fits here too.)<p>

I haven't been fair to you guys. Some of you have been faithful in reading and have expressed excitement in the things that I've posted, and I strongly feel that I've betrayed your trust. The business with my dog has hurt me, as silly as it might sound the old furry bastard was my friend, and having him stolen almost killed my desire to write not only fanfiction, but everything in general, but I can't just stop. That's just letting some asshole win, and well we can't have that now, can we? I'm done just sitting in the slump that I've been in, and I'm done just looking despair in the face. So fuck it, and cheers to the rest of the year my fellow writers and readers!

With regards to you amazing people,

Leon Ciasslasi

To absent friends, let the adventure continue


	15. Chapter 15

Leon here, and this chapter actually made me realize something. I'm kind of a sadist.

Disclaimer: Don't own digimon.

Random fact: The Japanese school year tends to end in mid-to-late March.

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><p>The last week of school had gone by fast, time always being something that snuck up on people, and it was something that Hikari was forcing herself to think about so that her apprehension at the upcoming night didn't stop her from attending Miyako's graduation party. Normally whenever the Chosen ever celebrated something it was just small get-togethers and hanging out, but tonight, mostly due to Daisuke's insistence, Miyako was going to have an actual bona fide drinking party for once. It was something that wouldn't have usually interested Hikari, and being frank it still wasn't something that she actually wanted to go to, but this was supposed to be a grand celebration, a night where a drunken Miyako was supposed to be a queen amongst friends and strangers, and that alone made it something that she had to go to.<p>

As she stood right outside of Jun's apartment, an apartment that Daisuke was supposed to be taking care of while his sister was gone, Hikari double checked everything to make sure that she looked okay. Satisfied, she knocked on the door and waited until a hazy eyed Daisuke answered it; he reeked of alcohol.

"Hikari!" Not giving her a chance to greet him, Daisuke grabbed his old friend by the wrist and pulled her into Jun's apartment. He grinned at her as she tried to politely smile at him while he dragged her inside, and content with the drunken world he had created for himself, he stumbled as he flung an arm over her shoulder. As they walked deeper into a crowded room filled with strangers and classmates Hikari noted that Daisuke had forgotten to close the front door, "I didn't think you were coming?"

She smiled politely again while she wriggled out of Daisuke's hold, and before she answered him her eyes searched around the room. She was looking for Miyako to let the older girl know that she had showed up after all, but after a few moments of searching she couldn't find her. She pouted for a second; what was the point of being at a party for Miyako if Miyako hadn't even bothered to show up?

"Where's Miyako-san?"

"She dragged Ken off like twenty minutes ago."

Ah, yeah that sounded like something she would do. Say what you will about her, but Miyako is the kind of girl that takes what she wants when she wants it. Good thing Ken is a good sport about it all.

"Oh," Hikari paused for a second not really sure what else to say since talking about the sex life of her friends wasn't really the most comfortable topic around, but now that she was thinking about it, it did remind her that Miyako and Ken weren't her only friends that had the possibility of being intimate. It seemed to be just a matter of time until Takeru reached that level as well, though it wasn't something that Hikari liked thinking about. And on that not, having all her thoughts somehow make their way all back to him wasn't something she was very fond of either, "where's everyone else?"

Everyone else? Daisuke smiled. He may have been drunk, but who the hell did Hikari think she was fooling? When it came to being conspicuous she wasn't exactly a master at it.

"Takeru's out on the balcony."

Her face flushed since getting caught thinking about something so sensitive was pretty embarrassing, but it at least wasn't as bad as it could've been since this was Daisuke and not some random stranger that had caught her. Though, she wondered maybe it would have been better if things were the other way around? If that were the case at least her interactions with the Chosen wouldn't be as strained or awkward as they were now. Takeru wouldn't have been pitied by them as he had been earlier, and in turn the same would currently apply to her as well.

"Thanks."

She began to make the motions as if she were going to go outside where Takeru was at, but stopped when Daisuke touched her arm. She turned to him, but didn't really know what to say since Daisuke was staring at her strangely. She didn't know if it was all the beer in his system that had prompted him to stop her, but she had an inkling that it wasn't when she saw an old familiar look in his eyes.

"You look pretty tonight."

All Hikari did was smile at him. For all his brashness and the heavy-handed way he dealt with things, Daisuke could be really sweet sometimes.

"Thanks, you look nice too."

His response was to laugh as loud as he could, and even though it wasn't the most ideal place to end a conversation Daisuke backed away a little and waved goodbye at Hikari knowing that she wanted to go talk to Takeru or something to that extent. He waited until she returned his wave, and then happily made his into the drunken sea of people that had gathered in his sister's home. He felt Hikari's eyes still watching him, he felt the buzz from all that he had drank still going through his system, he felt as if the coming morning was years into the future; in short, Daisuke felt content.

It was watching him that made Hikari wonder if she was going to be able to feel like that anytime soon. He was filled with happiness, that much was obvious, but what stuck out most about it was that Daisuke's happiness was simple. Just him living his life with a smile on his face and glow in his heart; just one guy living his life as if nothing could ever go wrong.

So with that in mind Hikari moved through the crowd that had gathered to apparently celebrate Miyako, and couldn't help but wonder how many of the people there actually knew Miyako. She saw some familiar faces here and there, but it seemed as if there was an equal amount of strangers as well. As she pushed her way through she didn't know what to think, but after she let the thought settle for a moment she was a little bit more receptive to the idea. What better way for people to become friends than to join in drunken revelry and celebrate a single person's life changing moment?

It was a thought that once she embraced it actually made her feel pretty good, but the feeling didn't last long when she finally made her through and to the balcony door. She put a smile on her face wanting to look her best when Takeru saw her, but when she slightly opened the door in front of her, she stopped. All she saw there was him standing with Ayano at his side as they looked up at the stars in silence, and there was something about the sight that made Hikari not feel right in interrupting. Instead she watched them as she peeked through the slightly ajar door since she had clue to what else she should do, but she felt a tight knot form in her stomach when she saw Ayano grab Takeru's hand and rest her head on his shoulder.

What made it worse though was seeing Takeru be receptive of it, and it was like someone slapped her in the face when she saw him rest his head on hers. Had it been any other couple she would have thought the sight to actually be sweet in its own way, but watching this happen between Takeru and Ayano, it was starting to get pretty painful for her. It was like a knife in the wound when she heard what his girlfriend said next.

"I love you."

With that Hikari shut the door since she didn't want to hear what Takeru's response was. Everything had happened so fast, one minute she was talking with Daisuke while he was having fun being drunk and being his happy self, and the next she was watching Takeru as he embraced his girlfriend under the stars. And it was that thought and that word that made Hikari want to just go into one of Jun's rooms and cry; _girlfriend_, that's what Takeru had once wanted her to be.

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><p>Yeah this was a short chapter compared to the rest that I wrote right here, but I like where it ended.<p>

P.s. The abruptness of it all near the end was on purpose. To mirror how quick everything was that was going through Hikari's mind. That, or I'm a shitty writer. Your choice!


	16. Chapter 16

Leon here with the latest installment. Almost at a hundred reviews, at 94 I think right now. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Man, I haven't seen it, any of the seasons, since I was a kid.

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><p>"Jackass."<p>

Hearing what his girlfriend said, Takeru shuffled awkwardly beside her knowing that the nice night they had going between them had just officially been ruined. He stood beside her, just the two of them out on Jun's balcony, and he didn't move away from Ayano hoping that she wouldn't stay mad at him. If he was lucky then the two of them could just go back to enjoying the night. He would rather not leave her by herself when just inside there were dozens of guys getting drunk.

"I don't see what the problem is."

Neither moved from their spot on the balcony, both just staring out at all the different lights in Odaiba that they could see from there, the two of them also avoiding physical contact even though they honestly didn't really want to. It wasn't a situation that Takeru particularly liked being in, and he had little doubt that the same applied to his girlfriend. Whether someone has had serious intimate relationships before as was the case with Ayano, or it being a first time experience like how it was for Takeru, dating always has its complications.

"Just because she's here doesn't mean you have to go and talk to her."

It was something that was starting to get old for Takeru. To him it seemed that whenever he and Ayano spoke about or discussed anything seriously, that the topic usually had to do with Hikari in some way. Most of the time fighting over how he still hung out with her, and it had actually gotten to the point to where Takeru wasn't really sure if he was in a healthy relationship or not.

He looked over at Ayano, noticing all the while how she was forcing herself not to look back at him, and Takeru regretted the situation that he had gotten the both of them into. He really liked her, him not wanting to say that he loved any girl since the last time he did that it went rather poorly, and he thought that what was happening was a real shame. Half the time Ayano was the sweetest girl in the world that made Takeru happy that he got to spend time with her, but the other half she was a stressed out jealous mess unhappy with the fact that Hikari was still in his life. Honestly, all the arguing was starting to its toll on the both of them.

"I was only going to say hi to her."

He knew that it was a lie when he said it; a lie even though that's not what he originally meant. When it came to Hikari things weren't that simple, emotionally or otherwise, and Takeru wasn't naive enough to believe his own words. Watching the way that she flinched, he knew that Ayano wasn't that naive either.

"I'm not stupid Takeru."

He wasn't sure if he heard right, but for a moment he thought he heard Ayano's voice crack. She still wasn't looking at him, still staring out into the city, and Takeru looked out and followed her lead. Now that he thought about it there was so much out there in the world to see and experience...what the hell was he doing still in the Odaiba?

"I know that you aren't."

"Then don't act like I am."

Knowing nothing else that he could do, Takeru reached for Ayano's hand hoping that she would grab onto his. It was more than little reassuring when he felt her do so and squeeze.

"I'm sorry."

He made sure to squeeze back. Hard.

"I'm supposed to be mad at you."

"You can stay mad if you like."

He liked having her close to him, he didn't know what it was but there was something about her that put him at ease. He liked holding her hand, the way any guy should when it comes to his girlfriend, and he felt calm just standing there as he noted that her hand was so much smaller than his. He squeezed it again feeling guilty that he had first gone after her only as a way to get over Hikari; feeling guilty since he wasn't sure if his being with Ayano was still for the exact same reason.

"She likes you right?"

It was something that she didn't want to ask, Takeru could tell that just by the tone of her voice, but she did regardless and it was something that he had to answer. He knew what he was about to say was true, though he honestly hadn't processed it himself yet; it was something that he really didn't want to.

"Yeah, I think so."

Ayano didn't say anything, Takeru glancing at her from the corner of his eye, and he sighed and then put his attention out towards the city again. There was so much out there beyond what he could see, so much that he could experience either alone or with someone whose hand he could hold for the entire journey. As he held on to Ayano's, he wondered if hers was the one that he wanted.

"She only wants you because she can't have you."

"Hikari's not like that."

"Takeru," she paused sick of hearing the same thing over and over again. 'Hikari's not like that, Hikari's not a bad person, Hikari and I are just best friends.' She looked over at him squeezing his hand as hard as she could, sick of the fact that she was so insecure about things, "she only started bitching and moaning about things when we started dating."

He felt that squeeze from Ayano again, that squeeze from the girl who was so much smaller than he was, but this time around he didn't return it. He wasn't sure if it was because he simply disagreed with his girlfriend, or if it was out of some misguided desire to be chivalrous and to protect Hikari from words that she would never hear.

"Hikari's not the one that's bitching here."

He didn't mean his words to sound as harsh as they did, later regretting the way that he implied that Ayano was the one bitching instead of Hikari, but either way he did nothing when he felt Ayano's hand go slack and fall away from his. He looked out towards the city; there were so many streetlights, so many things to explore.

"Why do you always defend her?"

He wondered, was Ayano the one he wanted to explore those things with? The one that he could look at an empty sky with and have her understand what was wrong with it?

"Because you always talk bad about her."

She wondered, would Takeru ever really be her cornerstone? The one that she could depend on to love her more then someone from his past?

"Do you still have feelings for her?"

Takeru hated that question, hated hearing it so much and being asked it all the time, and he looked at Ayano wanting to know what she wanted him to say. Her hands were over the railing of Jun's balcony, and he knew just by the way the girl was carrying herself, the way that she looked outwards with a face that could only be described as bitter, that Ayano knew the answer to what she asked. Leaning forward and taking in all the lights that were before him shining in the night of Japan, Takeru was bitter for the exact same reason.

"You keep asking me that."

She turned her head to him and forced a smile hoping that it would, knowing that it wouldn't, make things just a little bit better. She smiled hoping that Takeru could somehow do something to turn that smile into a real one.

"You keep making me wonder."

Her eyes were on his and she bit her lip; this was Takeru's chance to reassure her, to say the right thing. She stood there hopeful, full of wishful thinking and those silly things called emotions that all girls tend to have, but her hopes were dashed when she saw a flicker of defensive in his eyes; a flash of hurt then anger.

"That's my own personal business."

She bit her lip even harder. Her response sounded meek.

"I'm your girlfriend."

"Yeah," Takeru was hurt not wanting to think or talk about what Ayano had brought up, even hating her for a moment just because she said it and he, without thinking about it or even contemplating the consequences, tried to hurt her in turn. It wasn't something that was in his nature, and it was something that he regretted as soon as he said it, "and I'm starting to wonder why that is."

He was stupid, he knew that he was for what he had said, and he tried to grab her hand again to maybe somehow partially ease the situation. It didn't work, and she pulled away and stood up from leaning on the railing; defiant and pissed as ever.

"You know what? Take her home and fuck her if you want, see if I care."

Takeru himself stood up looking down at Ayano since she was so much shorter than him. She was angry, and the way she stood there he could tell that she was challenging him, that she was daring him to say something. She kept throwing Hikari back in his face, she wouldn't shut up about it, and he felt: hurt, angry, and actually somewhat betrayed at how easy Ayano was able to do that. It was as if she was purposely trying to wound him emotionally, and he narrowed his eyes at her; he figured, why not do the same to her?

"Maybe I will. At least I'd be the first guy she gave it up to."

Her eyes glistened at that one, she had a surprised face never expecting Takeru to go there, to want to see her in pain, and she did the only thing her pride would let her do, the only thing Masato or Goro would allow her had they been there to hear what he said; she slapped him.

They stood there silent for a bit, ignoring the sounds of the city they had spent so much time fondly looking at and contemplating, ignoring the sounds of drunken jubilation that just a ways indoor, ignoring everything in the world other than each other. She watched him not physically hurt, but still touching a hand to his own face surprised that he had been hit. He watched her shoulders going somewhat slack, almost as if she had decided to just give up or something.

"You said it didn't bother you."

"I said I didn't care that you did it. Of course it still bothers me."

He watched as she glared at him, hated him the same way that he had hated her just a little while earlier, and he felt that it was something that he didn't like. He cared about her, that being the most he wanted to say for any girl at the moment, and that look of contempt that she had in her eyes was something that Takeru never wanted to see again.

"I will never be Hikari."

"I never asked you to be."

Like earlier it was a lie. Like earlier both of them knew it.

"Can you just leave me alone right now? I need to think about something."

She didn't want him to be there anymore, it was something that struck heavily in his heart. He had messed up, Takeru knew that he had, but now it seemed that it was too late to fix it. Though, it was never too late to give something just one last shot.

"What do you need to think about?"

"Just leave me the fuck alone."

It was an exasperated response, one that neither expected would happen, but as Takeru stood there unsure of what to say or do, Ayano's next move surprised them both once again. She put her hand to where she had slapped him, and after a moment, just a moment, she kissed him on the other side of his cheek.

"I love you."

It was said softly, being something that was simple and lacking grandeur, and she stood there as if she expected him to say something in return. She had said the same thing to him earlier, and like before he opened his mouth and said nothing. The scene just passed like that, and Ayano forced another smile as she stepped away from Takeru and went back to looking outward on the balcony.

"Find me when you want to leave okay? I want to walk you home."

Ayano just stared out into the city almost as if she was admiring all the dirty streetlights that Odaiba had to offer, and Takeru just walked away and into the apartment knowing that she wasn't going to say anything. Her silence, like his had been, was answer enough.

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><p>You know what? People in reviews, and private messages, have both told me that Hikari is the girl for Takeru, and Ayano is too respectively speaking, but I had a thought...is either? Honestly, his relationship with both girls seems to be rather unhealthy. At least in my own humble opinion, which I respect. It's something to think about eh? Well I'd say so. Either way thanks for all the people who have put this story on story alert, thanks to the people reading it, and extra thanks to you guys who take your time to actually review and let me know what you think. You guys are my favorite readers, granted the only ones that I know for sure are actually reading, eh.<p>

God bless the Queen, God help us all.


	17. Chapter 17

Hey it's me with another update, and I'm glad to say that this story is my first to finally get over 100 reviews. I feel like I've lost my fanfic virginity if that makes any sense, but I'm glad to have finally gotten there with a story. Another awesome thing, is that since I've last updated another story of mine has reached that 100 point as well.

One thing I'd like to say is that in the context of this story, I don't think Hikari is a bad person. Misguided? Yes. Confused? Absolutely. A bad person? Not at all. At the moment she, and Ayano as well, are bad for Takeru. Will this get better? Maybe. Will it get worse? Hey, that's a possibility too.

Disclaimer: Don't own digimon, eh.

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><p>His body was surrounded by the sounds of waves and waves of drunken teenagers forgetting all the sensibilities that they were raised with, his sister's apartment was filled with strangers and people who he only knew casually coming together as the best of friends in one glorious alcoholic night, and his mind was clouded by poor judgment and intoxication caused by the many things he'd already drunk that night. Daisuke was having the time of his life.<p>

"Takeru!"

He shouted over the shitty dance music that someone had put to play earlier, and when he spotted his old rival, who these days leaned more to being pretty much just a buddy, he forced his way through the crowd to greet him. He was careful though, as careful as a drunk teenager can be expected to be of course, as he squeezed between people dancing in his sister's living room on account of the fact that his hands were full. One hand holding a half empty bottle of twenty year old wine Jun was saving for her wedding, the other gripping onto a bottle of yet unopened vodka. He had no idea how much he had already drunk that night, hell he didn't even know if he had gotten laid or not but he was pretty certain that he did, but in any case it would be a miracle if Daisuke didn't end up getting alcohol poisoning by the end of the night. Good thing miracles are kind of his forte.

"Takeru!"

Daisuke grinned as the other boy turned his head and spotted him, and as he stumbled over to Takeru he swung his arm over the guy's shoulder. He almost knocked the both of them over, worse yet he almost dropped his wine, but Daisuke decided a simple 'fuck it' was in order. Tonight was a night of celebration! Of camaraderie! Of life! Though, he wasn't afraid to admit that he forgot the exact reason on why they were having a party in the first place.

"Daisuke," Takeru stumbled a bit under Daisuke becoming slack as he held onto him, but forced a chuckle hoping that his drunken friend would be able to lift his spirits, "you okay man?"

His response was to shout and laugh, a response echoed by nearby strangers who were in similar states as he was, and he began to lean more on Takeru then he intended to as he felt himself wanting to rest already. From the angle he was at he thought that Takeru actually looked pretty cute, almost like a girl. He paused there for a moment, and then in the back of his mind he added, 'no homo'.

"Dude, I love you man."

Takeru adjusted himself to support Daisuke more, and this time his laugh was not forced. It wasn't really Japanese etiquette to drunkenly tell other guys that you loved them, hell it was something that he didn't think that even those bat-shit crazy Americans would do, but he couldn't help but enjoy the sincerity of Daisuke's words. Couldn't help but be amused at what copious amounts of booze could do to a person.

"That's a little random don't you think?"

"Maybe," picking himself up a bit, Daisuke flashed Takeru a smile somehow thinking with his hazy mind that that was the only possible response that he could give, "but hey better to say it now then when it's too late right?"

Frowning, Takeru was reminded of Ayano and what she had said. In this night alone his girlfriend had twice already said that she loved him. Both times he remained silent, honestly pretty sure that he didn't love her in return. There were glimpses of it, moments that he forgot about Hikari when he was with Ayano, but he still couldn't acknowledge that he actually felt love for his girlfriend. As Daisuke held onto him he wondered, if something happened would not saying it be something that he regretted?

"Well, I guess I love you too."

Daisuke's grin grew from there as he heard the jokingly dismissive answer, and he had a random thought: from Takeru's angle, did his buddy find him cute? Out of pure curiosity, no homo of course.

"Hey dude?"

"Yeah?"

Glancing at the wine bottle in his hand, he swished it around estimating how much longer of the night it would last him. He was content seeing that it seemed like a suitable amount, and Daisuke put his attention back on Takeru. There were many things going through his head, and he figured that he might as well ask what was predominantly on his mind.

"Did I get laid tonight?"

"Dude, I don't know!"

Ah, well it was a worth a try. He really did think that he had somehow gotten lucky earlier, and if he had hooked up with a a girl then yeah that was awesome. Regardless of that though, Daisuke figured that he so far has had a good night; especially since he wouldn't be able to remember most of it.

"Let's go."

His words were slurred, but Takeru could still understand Daisuke.

"To where?"

Instead of responding first, Daisuke just walked and dragged Takeru with him towards the couches in the living room. Pushing through the sea of people, he figured that they were headed where the blonde wouldn't really object to going.

"Hikari."

He felt his friend go tense at the name, and it bothered him even though he lacked sobriety. He had hoped that once Takeru got a girlfriend that this whole awkward Hikari business would be over, but all the signs just kept pointing to the fact that maybe the problems were barely starting to come around. Dragging him along closer to where Hikari was at, Daisuke hated that even now there was still some drama waiting to happen. Truth be told, he had the opinion that everyone involved in that love triangle were fucking idiots, though he couldn't help but feel bad for them seeing as two of them had been his friends for years.

"Hey guys."

As the two of them fell on the couch opposite of where Hikari was seated, Takeru glanced at the girl but then couldn't help but look away. He thought of his conversation with his Ayano earlier, how he lied to her about how his going to say hi to Hikari was only him saying hi, and he couldn't help but feel guilty. He was involved with somebody, somebody who said that she loved him, and here he was fawning over a girl that had already rejected more than once. What the fuck was he doing?

"Hey."

It was Takeru that responded, Daisuke simply waving his hand as he made himself comfortable, and the latter adjusted himself in his seat and then quickly looked back and forth between his two friends. They seemed comfortable enough, though in his opinion it was obvious that there was still a bit of underlying tension in the air. He was happy seeing as Hikari had a bottle of beer in her hand, granted it was a little disappointing since said bottle seemed to look warm with almost all of its contents still there, and he pushed his own bottle of vodka into Takeru's chest and waited for him to grab onto it. It would do the both of them good to get alcohol into their systems.

"You gonna drink that?"

With his head he motioned to the aforementioned beer that Hikari was holding onto, and she gave him a polite smile and took a tiny sip. Had he been been sober, Daisuke would have rolled his eyes, but hey at least a sip was better than nothing.

"Yeah, slowly though. I don't want to get drunk."

"You can't get drunk from one beer."

"It's better to be safe than sorry."

Taking his arm off from around Takeru, with great difficulty of course, he slouched where he was sitting and rested his feet on his sister's coffee table. Jun was going to be pissed off when she found out about all the things that he'd done. Though, honestly? It was worth it.

"We're at a party. We're supposed to have fun you know?"

"I am having fun."

Frowning, Daisuke could see that lie a mile away even through his hazy eyes. She was sitting alone at a party not even drinking, there was no way she was having fun. Same with Takeru but for different reasons, that look on his face didn't exactly translate to 'ecstatic'.

"Takeru here isn't."

Takeru grunted, but Hikari instead looked concerned. She couldn't tell at first since her ind had been on different things, but now that she looked at him closely she could that Daisuke was right. There was something eating at him, and Hikari assumed it had to do with Ayano.

"Is something wrong?"

She didn't have to ask her question to know the answer to it, and somehow she knew that it had to do with his girlfriend. In her opinion that girl caused Takeru more harm than good. Though, it would safe to say that she was a little bias concerning that topic.

"Ayano and I got in a fight."

"For what?"

Thinking over what to say, Takeru decided that he would respond with only a partial truth. Going into detail about the full reasoning why he and Ayano had gotten into an argument would only make the rift between the two girls bigger. He knew it was stupid, but he still hoped that Ayano and Hikari could maybe become friends. That way, things would be easier for him at least.

"She said she loved me, and I didn't say it back."

Daisuke shook his head. Partially at Takeru's grand stupidity, and partially because of that little spark of hope that flashed in Hikari's eyes when she heard what Takeru said. People these days.

"Dude, you're an idiot."

"Yeah?"

"No shit."

Wasn't he supposed to be the token dumb guy of the group? Damn, the way his friends handled their problems like complete morons, always finding convoluted ways to just add to said problems, made him look like a genius. Hearing what Hikari said next made him just take a chug of his sister's wine.

"If you're not ready than I don't think you should say it. It's worse to lie to her don't you think?"

"'Maybe."

They were idiots, but they were his friends. Taking the wine away from his mouth, Daisuke looked at it then stood up proudly and raised it to the air. Almost drunkenly falling down just as proudly.

"Cheers."

"To what?"

He flashed a smile at his two downtrodden comrades.

"To being dumb ass teenagers."

He watched each of them look at each other, and how they each considered what he was toasting to. He smiled seeing as Hikari stood up and raised her nearly full beer in the air, and felt that drunken jubilation once again as Takeru took the cap off the vodka given to him earlier and stood up right at his side. Tonight, they would all be dumb asses. Together.

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><p>Daisuke chapter. Not something you guys expected right? Well anyways, next chapter is the last party chapter, after that expect the story to continue on.<p> 


	18. Chapter 18

Hey, it's Leon. It's been about a month or two since I last updated, and yeah I hope the wait was kind of worth it maybe? The chapter was written about 3 different times in 3 different scenarios, and it wasn't until I got to this one that I felt satisfied. I remember a while ago people said they wanted to see things from the older Chosen's perspective, so with this I give Yamato's.

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon.

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><p>He couldn't believe that he was actually headed to Jun's apartment of all places since the last time he had been there was under false pretenses after being tricked. Sure, it wasn't as awkward as it would been when he was younger, and it would be even less so than his previous visit on account of an absent Jun, but there was still an inkling of strangeness that Yamato felt as the elevator he was on was reaching the destined floor. Hikari had called him telling him that he needed to pick up a drunk Takeru, and he in turn called his mother saying that Takeru was going to be staying with him and his father for a random nighttime visit. It had surprised him learning that Takeru had been drinking, though the surprise waned a bit upon finding out that Daisuke had goaded him into it, but regardless he was here to pick up his brother and make sure that he would be safe for the rest of the night.<p>

As the elevator doors opened, stopping on the eighth floor, Yamato strolled out and began to walk down the hallway towards the sound of loud music and reckless teenagers. He was reminded of how he spent his youth in the years that truthfully weren't that long ago, and it was something that made him smile as he walked. It seems that things hadn't changed much since he was a young dumb ass himself. It was a passing thought, but one that proved true when within his sight came Takeru and Hikari sitting outside of an apartment all the while his brother leaned on and rested on the girl. It made him think back on what he and Sora used to do before they decided that neither drinking nor cutesy gestures were for them.

"Hey, is everything okay?"

He made sure not to get too close to the pair, and spoke softly as to not startle either of them with his appearance. Instead, Yamato stood off a good distance away from them seeing as they seemed to be in a somewhat compromising position. He stood there not saying anything, but it wasn't lost on him when he saw a flash of subdued annoyance on Hikari's face as if she was somewhat resentful that she and Takeru couldn't just stay how they were. He said nothing about it, pretending not to notice anything, and just watched as Hikari gently pushed his brother off of her and stood up to greet him.

"Everything's fine, Yamato-san. Takeru just needs you to take him home."

He nodded and sighed when he looked over at his brother who was still sitting on the floor seeming to not have any shame at all about the current predicament. True, getting drunk for the first time was nothing to be embarrassed about, but despite the fact that Takeru was grown up enough to make his own decisions, Yamato still would have preferred it if Takeru didn't drink at all.

Walking over to him, Yamato held his hand out for him to grab, and pulled his baby brother up when he clasped on tight. The young man's face scrunched as he got a whiff of the vodka on his brother's breath. It made him wonder, what would their mother think?

"You okay, buddy?"

"I'm fine."

Takeru's response was quick and not as slurred as he had expected it would be, this fact alone making him think that Takeru's level of inebriation was slightly skewed to the side of exaggeration, but regardless of that Yamato wrapped his brother's arm over his shoulder and positioned him so that the two of them would be able to stand and walk more comfortably. Once he felt that he would be able to move freely without his brother falling on his ass, Yamato once again put his attention on Hikari "Thanks for watching out for him. I appreciate it, you know."

"It's not a big deal."

Both of them knew that it wasn't, this being especially evident on account of what they spent their childhoods constantly doing, but Yamato was still grateful. Hikari wasn't his favorite person around, truthfully he still wasn't sure if he could personally forgive the girl fully, but he knew that no matter what had happened or what she had done, that she had a good heart. That she cared about his brother if even only in the slightest sense.

"Have you had anything to drink?"

He eyed the girl suspiciously, in the back of his mind wondering when had his baby brother gotten so tall and heavy, and he held onto Takeru more tightly since he had the fear that he was going to drop him at any moment now. These things were rushing around in his mind, but it settled down after he decided that Hikari seemed okay and on the up and up. He doubted that she had gone to a seemingly crazy party without consuming any alcohol, but he was comforted in the fact that she hadn't gotten hammered or drunkenly made a fool of herself.

"Just a few sips of beer. I stopped drinking when Daisuke-kun stopped paying attention."

He nodded having assumed as much would happen, and just let out a tired sigh. He hadn't wanted to spend his night picking up and then having to take care of an intoxicated Takeru, but well, such is life. Yamato at least found solace in the fact that once this was all over that it would at least make for a funny story later on.

"Do you want me to take you home? Taichi would have a fit if he found out that I didn't offer you a ride"

"I'm okay. I'm just going to stick around and wait for Miyako. She'd be mad if I left without congratulating her or telling her goodbye."

He frowned for a moment pondering if he should insist on taking her home or not, but deciding that it wasn't his place to do so, Yamato let it drop. He knew that even though he had offered it to her that Taichi was going to be pissed that he hadn't forcibly given the girl a ride. It was a consequence that was considered for the briefest of moments, but he had already come to the conclusion that he wasn't going to force Hikari to do anything that she didn't want to. Instead he just glanced back at Jun's apartment door, and rested his eyes there as a question popped into his head.

"Is Ayano-chan still here?"

The question made Hikari nervous as soon as he said it, Yamato noticing the change in her posture and the slight difference of her facial expressions, and it made him unsure of what to expect. Just from the cues given to him by Hikari's body language he could tell that his brother's girlfriend was or had been at the party earlier, but he could also tell that something was wrong by the simple fact that Takeru was out here in the hallway with Ayano being nowhere in sight.

"No, she left with someone a while ago. Takeru and her got into a fight I think."

His suspicious eyes came upon her once again, and he debated with himself the two thoughts that he had immediately come up with. Either Hikari was telling the plain and simple truth, or she was just saying things to make Ayano look bad in front of him and his brother. The latter didn't really sound like Hikari, but Yamato didn't eliminate the possibility since he wasn't really sure what he could come to expect from the girl anymore.

"Someone?"

"A boy-"

"Who?"

Hikari wasn't able to finish her sentence since Takeru had immediately cut her off when he heard the word 'boy'. It was curious to Yamato, strange all the same, that his brother became alert once again at the simple mention that Ayano had headed off somewhere with another guy. He felt his little brother's back straighten a bit, and oddly it was something that reminded him that he was getting old. Getting drunk and the infidelity of women are a man's problems, not a boy's.

"I'm not sure who it was, but I think it was her brother."

Takeru seemed to accept the answer as he became relaxed once again and went slack, but just like before Yamato only had questions. Was Hikari just lying about this latest tad of information to make his brother feel better, was the person that Ayano left with really a relative of hers, or was Taichi's little sister just being a conniving bitch? As he held onto his baby brother, Yamato wasn't sure what the answer was.

"I think we should be going now."

With his free hand he patted his brother on the chest, and took Hikari's slight and forced smile as confirmation that she understood. He was prepared to leave and drag his mother's precious little baby along with him, but decided that he would wait just a little bit longer. Hikari had a look in her eye, and something told Yamato that she wanted to say something.

"I'm sorry about how everything's been."

He took in the quick and random words as a drunken Takeru rested on him, and simply nodded yet another time in the night seeing as there was nothing else for him to say on the matter.

"Don't worry about it."

Smiling, Hikari was glad to hear Yamato's simple response since she needed something else to feel better about. The night of Miyako's party had so far been a strange one for her. She had shown up only to not find Miyako and be greeted by a happily drunk Daisuke instead, she had unfortunately stumbled upon Ayano telling Takeru that she loved him in what appeared to be one of their more intimate moments, she had made an idiotic toast to the excitement of Daisuke and Takeru, and she had been with the latter in the bathroom earlier rubbing his back as he threw up in a toilet bowl. Oddly, she didn't find the night to be disappointing. It wasn't her idea of something romantic or anything like those fairy tales that young girls always dream about, those being things that in the back of her mind she acknowledged that she shouldn't be thinking about, but it was nice to feel like she was accepted by Yamato again, and to be able to just sit and be with Takeru. Regardless of the circumstances.

"Goodnight."

Yamato watched that smile on Hikari's face, her not knowing the different thoughts and conflicting opinions that were going on in his mind, and he just gave her a wave as she returned one and disappeared back into Jun's apartment. As she once again joined the teenage wasteland.

"Yamato?"

He heard his brother's voice, and with the tone of it knew that Takeru had been watching that smile as well.

"Yeah?"

"She's in love with me."

Not moving from where they were, they did nothing and just stared at the empty spot that Hikari had been standing at just a few moments before. Love. It was something that Yamato, hell it was that everyone knew that Takeru had offered Hikari on more than one occasion. It hadn't been taken, and now everyone seemed to be at different stages in their lives as if they were looking at things from different places in history, and yet there was a thought that still lingered in Yamato's mind. It was love, that damn love, and he knew that despite everything that had happened or was going to happen in the future, that his idiot brother was still willing to offer that love once again.

"And you?"

Even without Takeru confirming, Yamato already knew the answer. It was something that he wished his brother could be stronger about, something he knew that would always be Takeru's Achilles' heel, and yet he found himself asking the question anyways.

"I think I feel the same way."

Of course he did.

"Life's a bitch, Takeru. It loves to give you the thing you've always wanted at the worst possible time."

The two brothers were silent for a moment after that as they leaned on each other, and after a small pull from Yamato they turned around to begin walking towards the elevator down the hall, and despite how inappropriate and out of place it was, they did something that would have made a great story had Takeru not forgotten it on account of his drunkenness and had Yamato actually the heart to tell it; the two of them laughed.

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><p>I think it was a decent chapter. What do you guys?<p>

I'm tired.


	19. Robot Dreams

It's been a while, but I'm back. I was playing a bit of Katawa Shoujo, listening to one of it's tracks called Wiosna, and I had a bit of inspiration just rush through my head. I shut the game down, looked for Wiosna on youtube, and with that song playing the whole time I was writing, I overcame my writer's block. Sorry for the long wait.

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon.

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><p>"I love you Hikari, I don't want you to ever forget that."<p>

It was a phrase that had become familiar to Hikari, one that had become very dear to her, and as she laid in bed next to Takeru, she wondered how often he said the same to Ayano. They weren't in high school anymore, long ago passing the years of uniforms and single classroom days, and Hikari couldn't help but feel more strangely adult as she was laying next to a naked man, helping him to commit infidelity. The first time that they had had sex behind Ayano's back was guiltily chalked up to the small amounts of rice wine that they had drunk in celebration of Ken officially becoming a part of Tamachi's police force. However, this excuse lost a bit of credibility after the second time, or the third, or the twentieth that they had somehow ended up naked in each others company.

Truthfully, Hikari wasn't sure what to think about what she and Takeru were doing. This was the bed that Takeru shared with another woman, the bed that he promised her things in, the bed where he and Ayano would sleep at night side by side after spending the day together, and now here she was with Takeru, taking Ayano's place for the night. The other woman had taken a trip with Masato to visit family on the other side of Japan, and after waiting until Takeru called her to tell her it was okay to go over, Hikari had gone to the apartment shared by Takeru and Ayano so that she could play mistress for a day.

"And Ayano?"

She saw some hesitation in his eyes as she asked her question, and after watching him awkwardly shuffle around while he faced her, Hikari wondered what Takeru was going to say. What they were doing was nothing to be proud of, even if Ayano could somehow be called, for lack of a better word, a raging bitch. She didn't get along with the woman, each still having insecurities about the other despite the passage of years in time, but that didn't mean that Hikari didn't feel bad about sleeping with Ayano's long-time boyfriend, even if it was a man that she herself was in love with. So she stared, as did Takeru, and contemplated the situation as he honestly answered her question.

"I love her too."

Takeru sounded meek, almost as if he was reluctant to even say that he loved Ayano. Despite asking the question and hoping for an honest answer, Hikari frowned when she heard it. It wasn't anything to be surprised about, this was the woman that he lost his virginity to and had lived with for the past few years, but it was still a bit disconcerting to actually hear him say it. Placing her hand on his bare chest, feeling his shameful sweat, Hikari could only barely pretend that Takeru and Ayano had never been in a situation as intimate as the two of them currently were. As time went on though, as Takeru seemed to grow happier with the woman who was openly on his arm out in the real world instead of this secret one, this became harder and harder for Hikari to do.

"How?"

"You can be in love with more than one person at a time."

It was an odd thing to laugh at, but she did. Drumming her fingers on Takeru's chest, Hikari didn't really believe what he said, and truth be told, she wasn't so sure if he believed it either. She sometimes wondered if the only reason that Takeru said that he loved her so often was so that he would feel less guilty about his infidelity to Ayano, but it was only when she was alone that she let her mind wander to such thoughts. With Takeru at her side such things could easily be laughed at, they could be turned into humorous little anecdotes, and Hikari stopped drumming her fingers as she sighed and decided to ask another question.

"If things had gone differently do you think that she would still be in our lives?"

"She's been in our lives for a while, Hikari. Just like all the rest of our classmates were."

She smiled, despite the conversation, and laughed once again at the way that Takeru had answered her. He reminded her of a little boy named Norio whose kindergarten class she was a teacher's assistant for, and oddly the image of Takeru reluctantly answering a question that he didn't really want to seemed to fit seamlessly with little Norio's apprehension when it came to playing with the other children whenever his mother came to drop him off. There was probably a better word for it, especially since Takeru was now a grown man instead of the crying little boy that she remembered meeting him as, but Hikari thought that it was cute.

"You're an idiot."

"At least I'm not a jackass."

He said it in the same joking tone that she had been using, but Hikari's out of place laughter died down when she saw that while Takeru did seem like he was attempting to have a bit of fun, he also seemed somewhat conflicted. Jackass wasn't something that she would have ever called Takeru, though admittedly she was a bit bias concerning that topic, but she knew that there was at least one person that he had wronged in some way. The possibility that Ayano maybe knew about Takeru's less than faithful escapades was something that never crossed Hikari's mind, and frankly, it was a bit scary once she thought about it.

"Is that what she calls you?"

"Sometimes, but I'd call myself that too if I was on the outside looking in."

The hand that was on his chest trailed to his shoulder, and Hikari gave him a smile as her hand gripped tightly to said shoulder. It was reassuring to her when he smiled back just as genuinely as she had to him. Even if it was wrong, even if it went against everything that she had ever believed in or stood for, she decided that she would be there for Takeru if that was what he asked of her.

"Do you miss it, Takeru?"

"Miss what?"

He was whispering almost, as if this topic was something forbidden, though considering the circumstances it probably was, but Hikari ignored it and just continued on with what she was saying.

"When Ayano-chan was nothing more to us than just another girl sitting across the room." She paused wondering how selfish she sounded since Ayano being entrenched in their lives was something that Hikari had brought on herself. When she had pushed Takeru away from her, she had unknowingly pushed him directly in Ayano's direction, "I miss it. Mostly though, I miss not having to schedule time to be with you instead already knowing that you're going to be there."

"I am going to be there. I made a promise to always be there."

It's true, he had promised that, but that was when he was a boy and had no idea the depth of what he was agreeing to. Hikari knew this, but was glad nonetheless that Takeru had honored his word even after becoming a man.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Yeah, I know."

Takeru was being difficult with not wanting to come right out and answer the question she asked, he had been like this all night, so she moved her hand from his shoulder and brought it to his face. Despite him being older, and far more able to maintain his liquor than he had been when they were still in high school, Takeru still had the face of a boy. Like she had thought earlier, she thought it was cute, and she realized that she had never even seen Takeru with as much as a hair on his chin. He was a man with no facial hair, and she was a woman who was still fiercely clinging onto an object of affection from her girlhood. In a way, neither of them had ever grown up, and Hikari cooed what she said next, both to get an honest answer out of Takeru, and so that she could take her mind off the thoughts that only became more uncomfortable the longer she let them linger.

"Well?"

He closed his eyes for a moment, and opened them after a deep breath.

"I'm fond of her."

"Yeah, I know."

Ayano was the other love of his life, this was after all the bed that the woman went to sleep on at Takeru's side every night, and his answer was enough that Hikari thought that maybe he didn't regret the outcome of how things had turned out for him. Sure there were ups and downs, this current infidelity being something that Hikari wasn't sure which direction it went, but it was very easy to tell that Takeru was happy with Ayano holding his hand.

Takeru was in love with them both, and just as he had said that it was possible to love more than one person at a time, he loved them in different ways. In public whenever Hikari watched the way that Takeru looked at Ayano, there was always a certain sort of quiet affection in his eyes; one that made it obvious how deeply he cared for the woman. With herself however, Takeru stared at her with passion; an undying devotion that had unknowingly been there even way back in the days that Daisuke seemed as viable a competitor for her heart as Takeru.

"But yeah I do miss how things used to be. Everything seemed less complicated, a lot less grown up."

Her thoughts were interrupted with Takeru's sudden interjection, and she scrunched her eyebrows at him when he chuckled at the realization that her mind had drifted elsewhere despite being the one that had brought up the question in the first place. It took a moment, but she giggled as well until the both of them filled the room with laughter that was inappropriate for the conversation. It only lasted for a small while, but it was enough for Hikari. As long as she and Takeru could still laugh together, there really wasn't anything else that mattered to her.

"We're not kids anymore, are we Takeru?"

Her words went against her earlier conclusions, but even though it wasn't logical, Hikari thought that her words weren't contradicting said conclusions. The two of them were kids still, they always would be in her opinion, but the world around them had grown up while they weren't looking. It was nice, but scary, at the same time. When she heard his response, she knew that Takeru felt the same way as her.

"No, but I'm not sure whether or not that's a good thing."

Strangely, she thought of little Norio again. The little boy fought against change, the same way she had so long ago when Takeru had first started taking an interest in her to be more than just friends, and the thought was refreshing to her. If little Norio could be brave and play with the other children once his mother left him, why couldn't she be just as courageous as him as well?

"I think it is. Kind of."

"Kind of?"

"A lot of things have happened to us, good and bad, but those things are just memories now. It's almost sad to think of in that way. But then I can feel happy again knowing that we still have a future ahead of us, you know? It makes me believe for a second that things don't have to end."

"They don't."

Regardless of what they had been doing, or what their friends and family would have thought if it was known what they had been doing, Hikari's night with Takeru had been a night of genuine smiles. Takeru seemed timid in the way that he tried to reassure her, but Hikari couldn't help but notice that he sounded like he was trying to reassure himself of the same thing. She moved her hand from his face and trailed it to his hand. When she felt him grab onto hers, she wondered how different it would feel once he had his wedding ring on.

"You're getting married, Takeru."

"I haven't asked her yet."

Yet was the key word. Even though he was right there with Hikari, cheating on Ayano, Takeru still planned to ask the woman to be his wife. It was something that Hikari knew she would think about once she was back in her own bed with no one beside her, knowing that at that very moment that Takeru was most likely holding onto Ayano, but she let the thought subside for the moment. It was only when she was alone that she let her mind go to dark places.

"She won't say no to you."

"She might."

Hikari had her doubts that Ayano would say no if Takeru proposed to her, and she didn't want to get her hopes up. She knew it was an awful thing to wish for, but there was a part of her that would sometimes dream of the day where Takeru's future wife wouldn't be there anymore. She forced a laugh, one that was just as inappropriate as all the other ones.

"Don't try to cheer me up right now."

"We shouldn't really be joking like this."

He hadn't joined in with her forced laugh, and Hikari knew that deep down, this whole situation that they had gotten themselves in really wasn't something to laugh about. So, to change the subject, she craned her neck back a bit so that she could give Takeru a better glimpse of her chest. She knew that he would look, as was her intention, but she also hoped that the action would possibly influence the answer that he gave her to her next question.

"Do you think that she's prettier than me?"

"Prettier?"

This time, Takeru actually almost laughed. It was a silly thing to ask, pretty being something that adults were supposed to use to describe daughters and not much else, but Hikari still felt the need to use that word over anything else that she could have. It was a hope that was just as silly as her question, maybe even more so, but choosing that specific word made her feel as if she could just close her eyes as she was at the moment, and open them to be a teenaged girl again.

"I know I probably sound like we're still in high school or something, but can you humor me right now, Takeru?"

As she expected, Takeru didn't say anything at first. He did answer her though, just not in the way that she had wanted.

"She's gorgeous, but so are you."

He had dodged yet another question just so that he could take the easy way out. Usually, it was something that she understood and didn't mind all that much, but lately, especially tonight, it had started to bother her. Hikari narrowed her eyes at Takeru, something that she couldn't remember when she last did.

"How come you can never give me a straight answer when it comes to the the two of us?"

"It's not something that I like to think about."

It was an honest enough answer, but one that put into perspective just exactly what they were doing. She squeezed his hand, being forced to acknowledge that the only times that Takeru was comfortably with her, the only times where he would admit that he loved her, was when Ayano was away, or when they were alone in the dark together.

"Are you ashamed of me?"

He didn't say anything at first, as if he was going over in his mind what to say. What they had together was something taboo, something that Hikari knew they should have been ashamed of, but there was a part of her that couldn't help but feel no regrets for what she and Takeru had done. For what they had been doing for a long time, and for what they would do for a long time to come.

"I'm ashamed of myself."

Takeru had a kind soul and a good heart, she had seen him act with both countless times since when they were even children, so she could understand if he had a bit of hate for himself for all these things that they had allowed to happen.

"You think I'm a whore."

"Aren't we all?"

She felt him squeeze her hand back, and she knew it to be a signal that he didn't want to talk about it anymore. She liked the way that his hand seemed to fit with hers.

"Do you love me, Takeru?"

"I already told you that I did."

He said it often, but Hikari sometimes wondered if he said it more for his own benefit than her own.

"I want to hear you say it again. It makes things seem more real."

He nodded at her, seeming to understand what she meant.

"I love you, Yagami Hikari."

It did make things seem more real.

"Until when, Takaishi Takeru?"

"Until the day that Yamato shaves his head."

There was a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Will you love me even when Oshiro Ayano becomes Takaishi Ayano?"

The glint died down, but Hikari could see that it was replaced with different more serious look. She was almost afraid of what he would say.

"I'll love you even when I go to sleep at night by her side."

It was a terrible thing for him to say, but Hikari couldn't but feel her heart be warmed a little when he said it.

"She's going to be having your children, isn't she?"

"I'm going to marry her."

Despite everything he had said, everything he had done, he still wanted Ayano to be his wife.

"The two of you are going to have such pretty kids. I hope they get your eyes though."

"I'm not sure if I want any kids."

"You don't have to worry about anything, Takeru. You're going to be a great father."

"I'm already a bad husband."

His response startled her for a moment, and she was almost about to argue that fact before she stopped herself. A good husband doesn't do what Takeru did, and even though he and Ayano weren't even engaged yet, Hikari knew that all this sneaking around her back would get to him. Despite everything though, Takeru still had a good heart, if not one that was misguided.

"You're a good person. It isn't your fault that things turned out this way."

They were silent for about a minute, this causing Hikari to think that maybe it was about time that they went to sleep, but as she allowed herself to become a bit drowsy, she heard him speak again. This time it was Takeru that ended up asking a question.

"Do you love me, Hikari?"

"You already know that I do."

"Then tell me. It would make me feel better about all of this."

She ignored the implications of what he had to feel better about, and Hikari could do nothing else but answer him honestly.

"I love you, Takaishi Takeru."

"Until when, Yagami Hikari?"

"Until the day that Taichi shaves his head."

She laughed, as he did beside her, and she closed her eyes as she let her drowsiness take her. When she awoke though, things were different than when she had gone to bed. No longer was she naked, now she was dressed in kitty-spangled pajamas that her grandmother had knitted for her sixteenth birthday. She wasn't at Takeru's side in the bed he shared with Ayano either. Instead, she was on the bottom bunk of the bunk bed that she shared with the snoring Taichi, Tailmon sleeping at her feet all the while.

Realization hit her that she had been dreaming about a night shared with Takeru. The shy little boy Norio didn't exist, neither did Takeru's upcoming marriage with Ayano. Her dream, and everything in it, was just a long series of subconscious thoughts and manufactured memories. Just as she wished for in her dream, they were kids again. For the first time in a long time, Hikari smiled at the beautiful morning. She felt at peace.

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><p>I think things may be starting to look up.<p>

Something I'm doing is going back and rewriting/revising some parts of this story. Mostly, it's just grammar stuff and odd phrasing that I'm fixing up, but there are some other things to be fixed as well. Such as taking out a few paragraphs and replacing them with new ones, but you don't have to go back and read anything again since I'm not changing any plot points. You can tell which chapters I've gotten to since they now have names.

It feels good to be back.


	20. The Family That Slays Together

Hey guys, this is a longer chapter than I've put up for a while. 4,000+ words. Anyways, I realized since I hadn't revealed how Ayano's family is rich that I had a good opportunity to do that in this chapter. I think this one's a game changer.

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon.

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><p>He was supposed to be in school at the moment, supposed to spend another Autumn day in the classroom like the good student that his mother expected him to be, but instead he and Ayano were sitting in the back of one of Masato's cars as the three of them, with the addition of the always present Goro, made their way to Ogano, Saitama. The lakes there had a reputation of being beautiful all year round, as such fishermen quite enjoyed the place, and that was partially the reason that a tiny vacation was apparently something that was needed. Skipping school wasn't usually Takeru's modus operandi, even if he did have his mother's permission that one day of classes was okay for him to miss, but he was looking forward to spending the weekend at the Oshiro family's lake house.<p>

"Smile."

"No."

In any case, Takeru found it a bit strange, yet interestingly amusing, to watch the happy-go-lucky Goro interact with the eternally broody Masato. According to Ayano, the two of them were apparently good friends and fishing buddies, though from Takeru's point of view it just seemed as if Masato was simply annoyed with everything that Goro had to say. This seemed to be even more of the case if what Goro had to say had something to do with taking photographs.

"Come on!"

"No."

"Don't you want to make memories, Masa-chan? It's not everyday that we skip school to get some extra time out on the lakes, right?"

"I told you before not to call me that, especially in front of other people. And no, I don't think I'm going to want to remember this trip anytime soon."

Frowning, Takeru was reminded of how blatantly angry Masato was about the fact that he was going to join them on their trip. As Masato had told his sister with her boyfriend standing right beside her, they were going fishing to get rid of worms, not so that one could relax and have a nice time.

"How about you two?"

As Goro was turning back towards them from the passenger seat up front, Takeru smiled for the camera before he noticed that Ayano wasn't doing the same.

"I would rather not, Goro. Thank you."

He turned his head to look at her, and simply watched for a moment without saying anything as Ayano kept staring outside of her window. As long as he had known her, she had never been the most talkative girl around, Ayano always preferring to go on a quiet walk with him instead of going to a concert or some sort of similar event, but lately Takeru had started to notice that she had been beginning to get somewhat distant with him. He hadn't realized it at first on account of how gradual it had been over the months, but slowly she was detaching herself from him.

"I don't think that one picture would be that much of a problem, would it?"

Resting his hand on hers, it was impossible for Takeru to miss the false smile she gave him once she looked away from the window. It was a smile that was obviously forced, she wasn't even trying to hide the fact that it wasn't really genuine, and Takeru began to think on what he should do about it. She had been showing him less affection than she used to, she had been taking less chances than were given to spend time with him, and what was probably more poignant than anything else, he couldn't remember the last time that she had told him that she loved him without it sounding nonchalant or like an afterthought. True, it was something that he still hadn't said to her after nearly a year of dating, but that didn't mean that he didn't like hearing it himself.

"Okay."

Like the lady that she claimed to be, notwithstanding the dubious sexual escapade here and there, Ayano proudly held up her head for Goro's photograph and smiled. Takeru's hand was still on hers, said hand not really feeling like it belonged there, and it was then that he realized something. She was smiling for Goro, not for him.

A click and a flash later, Takeru watched as Goro put his attention back on Masato in hopes of getting the rare smiling picture, but his mind went elsewhere when he felt Ayano pull her hand away from his. It was subtle, as was the slight frown on her face, but something was bothering her. Maybe it had been bothering her since they first began dating, Takeru having a slight suspicion that it quite possibly had to do Hikari, as did nearly all his relationship problems with Ayano, and that just made things all the more difficult for him. Ignoring the thought, just as he always had done, he decided to just try asking her what was wrong, all the while hoping that it had nothing to do with a certain Yagami.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking, Takeru."

She was lying to him, and either she didn't care how blatant her lying sounded, or she didn't realize how bad at it she was. Nudging her leg with his hand, getting her to turn and catching her attention, Takeru made sure that she knew that he knew that she wasn't telling the truth.

"Don't give me that. I know that something's bothering you."

He didn't know what to make of it, but she seemed surprised at the sound of concern in his voice. She held her composure, a slight suspicious look being held in her eyes at the thought of Takeru actually being worried about her, and for some reason it pissed him off. He knew that his relationship with her hadn't been some sort of epic romance that would go down in history, and that the two of them being together probably wasn't the most ideal situation considering the circumstances, but that didn't mean that he still didn't have some sort of affection for her. It wasn't that passionate daring youthful sort of love that he had once held for Yagami Hikari, that he wasn't sure whether or not if he still held for his lifelong friend that never failed to give him butterflies when in his presence, but that didn't negate the fact that he still had a special sort of partiality for Ayano.

"I'm just thinking."

"It seems to me that you've been doing a lot of thinking lately."

Thinking terrified Takeru. It was when he was thinking that he realized that he and Ayano didn't really mesh together in practice as they much as they did on paper. Sooner or later, if she hadn't already, she was going to realize that maybe something was broken.

"There have been a lot of things to think about."

"Such as?"

If something was broken, Takeru knew that he could fix it. He wouldn't ever give up Hikari, she would always be too dear to him for that to happen, but the least he could do was maybe try to stop loving her. If not for Ayano's sake, or their relationship's sake, then for his own would suffice. All in all, being in love with Yagami Hikari had never really worked out in his favor. The most it had ever done was break his heart, and make him look like a fool.

"The leaves have changed colors."

It was an odd way for her to respond to him, but at least it wasn't what he was afraid that she was going to say. From the corner of his eyes he glanced at the trees they passed as Masato drove his car, and they were a soothing sight for his worried thoughts. Maybe it was just his cold loving European blood, but Takeru had always been fond of the Autumn. It was a time of year meant for warm clothes, and piano music playing in the breeze.

"Yeah, they're pretty."

"They're dead."

She sounded contemplative, something still swirling in her mind that she hadn't let out yet, but Takeru hoped for the best as he began to appreciate the time of year more and more. Hoping for things was something he that he had always been good at.

"Well, they still look nice, don't you think?"

"Ishida."

Hearing a voice that he didn't expect, Takeru looked forward at the angry sounding Masato.

"Huh?"

"Can't you see that my sister isn't in the mood to talk to you? I think she might finally be coming to her senses."

If anybody wasn't in the mood for something, it was Takeru who wasn't in the mood to put up with anything else that Masato had to say to or about him. He wasn't around Ayano's brother all that much, but every time he was Masato always had an opinion that he had to give. Usually, if not always, said opinion was more akin to a thinly veiled insult if not said outright. Frankly, Takeru was getting pretty damn sick about it.

"What's your problem with me, man? What do you have against me?" In a familiar feeling, something that seemed to follow him wherever he went, the atmosphere in the car instantly became more tense than it was already starting to get. "Does it have to do with the fact that my family doesn't have as much money as yours? Or is it because I'm not full Japanese?"

Masato gave no response for about a minute, in this time Takeru noticing how both Ayano and Goro were now frowning since neither had wanted there to be any sort of conflict on the trip, but with Masato and him being together in a confined space for a prolonged amount of time, conflict was inevitable. It was no secret to Takeru that his girlfriend's brother didn't like him, he had a feeling that maybe the dislike went even further than that, but he had never really gotten any clear clue as to why. There was always the money or class difference, though the rest of the Oshiros not caring at all made that reason a bit less implausible to him, and it made Takeru think that maybe Masato was just an asshole for the sake of being an asshole.

"I honestly don't really care about any of that."

Honestly, it was a pretty surprising statement for Takeru to hear.

"But-"

"I find enjoyment in getting under your skin, Ishida."

He didn't appreciate being cut off as if what he had to say was somehow not important, but what bothered Takeru the most about it was what Masato kept referring to him as.

"Takaishi."

The car was silent again as it just kept driving down the road, nobody daring to say a word, everyone expecting Masato to. Takeru watched Masato's face from his reflection in the rear view mirror, it was a poor angle but it was the best that he could get from his position, and he could see that Masato seemed like he was bothered by something. It wasn't the usual annoyed look that he almost always had on his face, or the pissed off one that came about every once in a while, but something about it looked off. Takeru, thinking that maybe it had to do with the angle of the reflection, couldn't place his finger on what was wrong.

"Your father's name is Ishida, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is."

"Then that's what your name should be as well, Ishida, if you have any sort of respect for the man."

With Takeru there was a certain line that could never be crossed by anyone as long as he had any say in it. That line was his family, and as much as he could handle and brush off Masato's disparaging comments about himself, Takeru refused to let him insult his family. He didn't care that this was Ayano's brother, but if necessary Takeru decided that he was going to kick some ass.

"Look, guy, you can say or think anything that you want about me, but don't talk about or disrespect my family."

Making a turn, and happily waving to another prospective fisherman as he drove more down on the otherwise deserted road, Masato wondered if Takeru had any idea just how important what he just said was. As much as he hated to admit it, as much as he hated Ayano's poor choice of a boyfriend, he acknowledged to himself that they shared certain similarities between them. If nothing else, he could at least silently admire Ishida's defensiveness over his family.

"I'll start treating your family with respect once you begin to do the same for mine."

It was an accusation that burned Takeru on the inside, and he hoped that Ayano either wasn't listening or wouldn't make the connection. She was a smart girl so he knew that his hoping would probably be for naught, but as he noticed her squirm for a moment out of the corner of his eye, he knew that her brother's words had hit her on the inside as well. The thought that maybe Ayano didn't feel she was respected wasn't something that boded well with Takeru, and he couldn't help becoming more and more pissed off with Masato by the second.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about, asshole."

"Asshole, huh? At least I'm straight about it. At least I don't string some idiot girl along while still swooning over some ex-girlfriend or whatever the hell she is to you."

Hitting a nerve, a nerve that he shared with Ayano, Takeru felt another defensive instinct stir within him. It wasn't just the truth that was held within Masato's words that got to him, but it was the fact that he simply mentioned Hikari. He had once promised to protect her no matter what, and to Takeru that also meant protecting her from words that she would never hear.

"I don't want you talking about Hikari."

In contrast to the serious mood that the rest of the trip had had so far, Masato began to laugh, truly laugh. As Masato pulled his car over to the side of the road, Takeru couldn't help but feel slightly discomforted by the sort of laughing that forced the stop. In the Digital World he had heard his own fair share of psychotic laughing, but just as it had with Ken, the laughing sounded all the more disturbing when it came from a human.

When Masato stopped his laughing though, his face took on a more serious look. Masato considered maybe grabbing for a cigarette, or maybe a cigar since that looked much more impressive, but he decided against it since he didn't want Ayano to hound him later for more than just his confrontational conversation that he had been having with her boyfriend. Unbuckling his seat belt and turning around to get and give a better view, he narrowed his eyes at Takeru.

"You kind of just proved my point right now, Ishida. I just called my sister an idiot, and it's that Hikari girl that you immediately defend."

Not being able to deny it, not even with Ayano sitting beside him, pretending that she wasn't looking at him, Takeru felt like hanging his head in shame. He didn't though, and wouldn't since something like that would only work to please Masato, and he realized that no matter how big of an asshole Masato was, that there was truth in the things that he had been saying. Remaining silent, that being the only response that Takeru felt he could give, he just listened as Masato continued to speak.

"I love my sister very dearly, and to me it's a bit obvious that the same doesn't apply to you."

"I-"

"You can't say that I'm wrong, can you? I can hear it in your stuttering voice that you don't really care about her. It's a shame that my sister can't see that she's only a rebound to you."

Having heard enough, knowing that he would be the one she would go complaining to later in private, Goro tried to sound more forceful than he usually was, more commanding, but the words came out sounding more meek than anything else.

"You're making her feel bad."

Ignoring Goro's protest, Masato just continued to speak at Takeru.

"Did she ever tell you how our older brother died?"

It was a question that caught Takeru off guard with how off base it was with the rest of the conversation. He turned his head to look at Ayano to see if she was going to give any input, but she remained silent and just began staring into her hands that were folded in her lap. Giving his attention back to Masato, having the feeling that Ayano wasn't going to speak up at all as long as her brother had something to say, Takeru wanted answers.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"He was murdered, shot execution style."

Needless to say, that wasn't what he expected to hear. It wasn't just the fact that their brother was murdered that caught Takeru off guard, but what was particularly unsettling was the calmness with which Masato stated the fact. Not knowing how else he could put it, feeling sheepish and uncomfortable all the while, Takeru said the only thing that he felt that he could at the moment.

"I'm sorry."

"So were the people that killed him."

It was cryptic, and something that again felt out of place. His brows furrowed since he had no idea what Masato was getting at, and Takeru was beginning to wish that the conversation would just end so that their trip could be over as soon as possible.

"What?"

"They killed my brother to send a message to my family. A message that we gladly replied to."

Unlike Ayano, Goro decided to speak up and interrupt Masato. There were some things that weren't to be discussed with or in front of outsiders, at least not without severe consequences, and Takeru was the apex definition of an outsider.

"What the hell are you doing? You shouldn't be telling him this. It's none of his business."

"He made it his business the moment he stepped onto my property, and stuck his dick in my sister."

"But-"

Takeru watched as Masato glared at Goro, and knowing his place, as Goro shut his mouth at said glare. This conversation was starting to sound increasingly dangerous, and Takeru was feeling more and more tense the longer it went on. This wasn't something that he was supposed to, or wanted to, hear.

"They put a bullet in one of us, so we put a bullet of our own in every single one of them. Not just the gunman, though, but the family that had ordered the hit as well. Every single last one of them. Every family boss, or big brother, every last scum fuck lawyer, street thug, unknowing wife, or anyone that ever had anything to do with them. Even the kids."

It was that last sentence that changed Takeru's attitude. As one of the Chosen Children he had been a hero and a protector to those who needed it, and sitting in a car listening while someone basically admitted to multiple murders, especially those of children, he felt himself becoming angry. He wasn't sure if Masato was just bluffing or making something up, which seemed unlikely due to the way that Ayano and Goro made no move to correct him, and his hands balled up into fists not knowing what to do.

"You murdered kids?"

"Not Goro or myself personally, we were still too young when all of this happened, but we understand that some things just need to be done. It doesn't matter how ugly things get, but we have to own up to our responsibilities. Had we been old enough, we would have done what was necessary."

"Necessary? Killing kids was necessary?"

"Don't grow some balls on me now, alright, Ishida? Contrary to popular belief, children aren't innocent little creatures. In fact, many of them can be downright cruel."

Having been witness to the savagery that Ken had unleashed on a whole populace of sentient beings once in darker days, Takeru knew full well that children had a great capacity for cruelty. What that fact didn't change though, and what Ken had also proved, everyone also had a chance for redemption.

"It doesn't matter."

"What do you think would have happened had my father decided to leave the kids alone? They would have grown up to be productive members of society? I wouldn't expect you to understand, but life isn't just black and white, or good versus evil. There's a scum fuck inside of all of us, and as benign as you think you think you are, there's a scum fuck inside of you as well. Trust me, I've seen him."

"Your father is the one who had those children killed?"

"My father is the one who avenged Denjiro, but yes, he's the one who gave the word. Every Yakuza does need a leader, after all."

Takeru felt disgusted with himself. Ayano's father was a man that he had had dinner with, a man he had tried to impress, and a man whose approval he once sought. He had assumed that his girlfriend's father was a successful business man of some sort, especially since the man had seemed to be more mild mannered than he would have come to expect from someone who was apparently a Yakuza boss.

"You're gangsters."

It was a word that Takeru spat out instead of outright saying it. It was a word that Masato paid little heed to as he simply continued on.

"We're a family, and family means that we watch out for one another no matter the circumstances. Blood for blood, and all that. It also means not letting outsiders fuck with us. And that in particular is something that I've been wondering about, Keru-chan." Pausing for effect, Masato turned away from Takeru and buckled his seat belt before he began to start up his car again. Beginning to drive once more, not bothering to even look at Takeru again, Masato finally asked what had been on his mind, "Are you fucking with us, Ishida?"

As they began to pass trees once more on the road, Takeru knew full well that what Masato asked was more than just a simple question or accusation, what Masato was saying was a dare. More so, it was a threat not to cross him. Not knowing what he was going to do with the information he had found out on the Oshiro family, not knowing if he was even going to do anything at all, Takeru just answered Masato as simply as he could.

"No."

"Good, because I think that I'm actually starting to like you, Ishida." laughing, Masato seemed to have no care in the world despite all the ugly and revealing things that had been said. "This might be a fun trip after all."

Regretting having agreed to go on the trip out on one of the famous lakes of Ogano, regretting what he had found out about Ayano's family, Takeru just stared at the passing trees, wanting time to go by as fast as it could.

He had always liked the autumn, especially since it was the time of year that piano music lingered on the breeze, but the changing colors of the leaves didn't look as nice or as pretty to him as they once did anymore. For the first time in his life he realized something that he had never paid much mind to as a boy. The leaves were dying.

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><p>I do a lot of writing original fiction, and said writing is usually about criminals. Gangsters, mobsters, vigilantes, etc. Figured, let me show you guys that little aspect of what I like to write.<p>

Hikari/Takeru chapter next. It'll be up soon.


	21. Leaves of Grass

Hey. Long time no see. To those of you who don't know, and that's pretty much all of you, I go through bouts of depression and self-loathing kind of frequently. Most of the time it only lasts a few days, but sometimes it can last for months, as was this last case of said uncomfortable topic that I'm currently trying to get over. I don't want it to sound like an excuse for taking forever to update, but I wanted to give an explanation to why it took me so long. Depression doesn't really help to foster a writing can do attitude. Anyways, here I am and I was too lazy to edit, so if there are any mistakes I'll be cleaning them up later.

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon.

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><p>Hikari had been all smiles and laughter that night, the increasingly absent Sunday breakfasts between the Yagami and IshidaTakaishi siblings being replaced with a dinner instead for this particular evening. It was something that Takeru noticed, something he was glad to see after the revealing weekend up at the lakes, but Hikari seemed to be genuinely happy for the first time in a long time. The awkward conservations and pained glances had all but seemingly disappeared since he had returned, and it reminded him of how things used to be.

Eating one of Yamato's famous meals with her at his side with neither of them only pretending to be happy had an inviting nostalgic air to it, but he honestly couldn't tell himself that he wished his life went back to being like yesteryear. He had had a lot of fun with Hikari over the years, she had had an impact on both his mind and his soul, but that impact hadn't always been a positive one. She had bruised him in ways that he didn't think he could ever forget, but that wasn't what kept him from looking towards the future. There was nothing for him in the past, and he wanted to be done looking in that direction for his answers.

It was an evening that passed with that in his mind while they ate and chatted in the new apartment that now belonged to Yamato, the tiny writer in Takeru's brain thinking that maybe this new apartment was possibly symbolic for something deep and meaningful that pertained to his life. Had he more time, he probably would've taken a moment to try and figure out exactly what that was.

"Do you want to get out of here?"

Sticking the last of the apple pie that his brother had baked into his mouth, a distinctly American desert that Yamato had pretended was store bought, Takeru lazily turned his head towards Hikari as she sat there looking at him, expectantly waiting for an answer. Slowly chewing and swallowing that last bit of delicious Americana, he replied to her reluctantly, feeling quite comfortable and quite at home sitting exactly where he was.

"Right now?"

"When else?"

She gave him a familiar smile that, in a way that was as persuasive as it was an oxymoron, felt to him like it was a stranger's smile that was being given to him, as well as an old friend's. He did his best to return a similar kind of grin, but even so Takeru knew that he wouldn't be able to replicate the charmingly manipulative body language that was uniquely Hikari. Even as he spoke, he knew he had lost the argument.

"Oh yeah, the cold outdoors sound really inviting right now."

"Come on!" Hikari laughed and elbowed him, clearly already knowing that they were going to do exactly what she wanted them to. Acting like she didn't notice the way that Yamato was staring at her suspiciously, Taichi being much too engrossed in the Americana that was the Constitution and Manifest Destiny hidden inside of an apple desert to pay attention to anything else, she wasn't sure how transparent she was being in wanting to get Takeru alone. "Balcony then?"

"Balcony then."

It was with that and a thank you to the chefs of the night that Hikari and Takeru made their way out onto Yamato's new balcony, greeting the cold night time wind with a strange combination of reluctant tenacity. Neither honestly wanted to be out there in the chilling Japanese air, nearly touching the sky with the height of where they were that night, but they would be damned if they let the elements decide how things would go for them.

Despite the fact that going outside was Hikari's idea, she said nothing as they stood out there alone, with only frosty breaths and the noises of the night time city to keep them company. To her it was romantic in some senses, nearly touching the cold sky out there alone with someone she cared about, but for the exact same reason it was bittersweet all the same. Even so, it was a bit of a shame when he broke the silence; she had hoped that they could have enjoyed the fleeting atmosphere just a little bit longer.

"So, what's up?"

"I could ask you the same thing. How was your weekend with the girlfriend? I would've asked during dinner, but I didn't want to get too personal in front of your brother."

Laughing, he had forgotten that petite little shy Hikari could be the boldest of people when it came to something that she was curious about. Luckily for him, Hikari considered herself a close personal friend of his, and what that meant was that he couldn't object to any of said boldness. In any case, it was refreshing to see her be more than that timid mess she had been not that long ago. This was the Hikari he had grown up with.

"And it's not too personal right now?"

"Not when it's just you and me."

It had been deliberate phrasing on her part, and Takeru began leaning on the railing of Yamato's balcony as he thought about the way she said it. At the risk of sounding like a dead poet, he thought that the lights of Odaiba made the city look beautiful at night, even if said lights helped to block out the stars that he had always been so fond of.

"You and me, huh?"

Following his lead, Hikari began leaning on the cold railing as well, forcing away a shiver that almost came when her skin touched the metal. She was content at the moment, and Odaiba's twinkling lights made her already existing smile grow just a tiny bit. At this very moment, she wondered, how many other people in Odaiba were in love?

"So, how was it?"

"It was tiring. I'm mentally exhausted."

His words were quiet as he said that, Takeru still being unsure if he would tell anyone about what he had found out concerning his girlfriend's family. People were dead because of them, people would continue to die, but it wasn't fair of him to judge Ayano by the sins of her father.

"I figured you'd be more physically exhausted than anything. From what Daisuke says, your girlfriend is pretty hot. It's a wonder you can keep your hands off her."

Thankful for the distraction, he just played along with it. Though, he figured that he could always tweak the conversation to a different topic other than his sex life. Something like that would only bring back the awkwardness that had seemingly gone away on a far off trip for the night.

"Daisuke said that?"

"Do you care more about his opinion on the matter than on mine?"

"Hey, it just means that I have bragging rights over him. I'd be saying the same thing even if I found out that my socks had more holes in them than Daisuke's. I'll take whatever can get me ahead of him."

"Ahead of him in what?"

"It's a guy thing."

It was nonchalant enough for her to just drop it, but she had always been at least somewhat intrigued about Takeru's relationship, if it could be called that, with Daisuke. Sometimes it seemed like they hated each other, most everyday it seemed like they found each other to be incredibly annoying, and yet the two of them hung out all the time and always had each others backs. It didn't quite make sense to be honest, but it was yet another reason that she was glad to have Daisuke in her life. On top of all the things that Daisuke had ever done to help both Takeru and herself out in any way that he could, he was the only person who could ever bring out Takeru's competitive side.

"You think you'll ever beat him?"

As she asked him that, as he saw cars driving through the shining Odaiba in the distance, he thought of the one particular contest that had sparked his never ending friendly conflict with Daisuke. Though, as he thought about it he wasn't sure if calling their catalyst a contest was the right thing to do. Hikari was more than a prize to be won, and as he stood next to her watching as she pretended that she wasn't sneaking looks when she thought he was distracted, he decided that it was a shame that neither he or Daisuke would ever win this battle.

"No."

"Don't be so pessimistic."

"I'm not being pessimistic, Hikari, just realistic. As we grow up we have to realize things about how life works, and I've been spending a lot of time realizing these past few weeks."

It didn't sound like the hopeful happy-go-lucky Takeru that she was used to, but wasn't sure how to take it since it also didn't sound like he even believed his own words. She frowned while thinking about that and about aspects of her own life that meshed well with his uncharacteristic words.

"Me too."

"Yeah?"

She was quiet, still debating whether or not to go through with what she had taken Takeru out to the balcony to say. She had been waiting for opportunity for a chance for her to say it naturally, in a way it was more story-book when she looked at the situation in that manner, and now was as good a chance as any. They were out there alone in the dark, no one else being there that would ever get in their way. It was a wonderful night.

"I'm not sure if I've ever actually told you about how sorry I am about the way I've treated you. I think I've just avoided actually saying so now that it seems that you're doing okay now."

"Look, we don't have to go through this again."

"I want to. I feel like it still weighs heavy on me, and that even though all this time has passed, that we haven't cleared the air yet. I want you to know exactly what my intentions are, and exactly what I mean when I say the things that I do. Can I please just talk right now? Can you please just listen?"

Oddly enough, he wasn't at all uncomfortable. He looked at Hikari as she looked right back at him, but something felt different tonight. He wasn't angry or hurt, and he wasn't directing any negative feelings towards anyone at the moment. He was in a situation that ought to have made him feel tense, but the only thing that Takeru felt was free. He nodded at Hikari, open to whatever it was that she wanted to say.

"Okay."

Breathing deeply, she took a moment to compose her thoughts. She had considered writing a speech and making a big speel once that story-book moment that was waiting for happened, but in the end she had decided that simply saying what had been on her mind would be the best way to go about it.

"I feel like I've neglected you before and that you might think that I've taken you for granted, but I want you to know that that's not true. It's just taken a bit of me walking those same steps for me to see it for myself. You're the last person that I ever want to treat badly. I just want you to know that. Daisuke once told me that the reason things are shaky between us isn't because I turned you down or anything like that, but that even after I turned you down that I was stringing you along all the while. I know it's not much after all this time, but I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

Pushing himself up from the railing, Takeru let Hikari's words settle in his mind for a moment. He felt a little wind pick up, making the cold outdoors a bit more frigid than it already was, and he rubbed his hands together thinking that maybe he should have brought a coat with him before he had joined Hikari on this balcony adventure. At least then he'd be able to keep her from being cold.

He didn't recall if Hikari ever did in fact apologize to him for any perceived wrongdoings, he wanted to say that she did but couldn't exactly remember if it had happened, but even so it was something that he had already made peace with. He didn't believe in that clichéd and honestly very bad lesson that love meant never having to say that you were sorry, but it was something that he already knew, even if Hikari had never been vocal about it.

"You think that I've neglected you?"

"It's like what you said about growing up, Takeru. Things change in life and we just have to be realistic about what our expectations are. If we just keep holding onto our childhoods, then there really won't ever be a place for us to go. Life only moves in one direction, you know."

He continued to look at her as she too pushed herself up from the railing that they had been resting on, and it was her smile that accompanied her words that made him just keep on looking. There had been little more than forced happiness and more than a bit of tension between them during the past year, but this smile that she was giving him was real. It wasn't the happiest smile, hell it wasn't even that big of a smile, but the way that she looked at him he could tell that it was genuine and sincere, despite what she had said.

"Forget about expectations then. What is it that you want? When you have dreams what is it that you see in them?"

What she had seen in her dream, the one that had almost convinced her that it was real, was what she wanted to avoid. He watched her expectantly, just like in her not so story-book dream, and she took a moment to think about Ayano. If they had traded places and it was Ayano who was out here speaking so intimately with Takeru, she knew that she would be heartbroken.

"My dreams are exactly what I have to be realistic about."

"I don't think think so, since they are dreams after all. That's the only time that we can pretend that life is perfect, and that all we've ever wanted can really be ours. I figure that that warrants at least a little bit of whimsy on our part."

"You know, you've never really struck me as the whimsical type."

He turned away from Hikari, and began staring out into the city again. The lights of the night life were gorgeous around this hour, even more so when they were as high in the sky as they currently. All around the city, in parts that he would never see that night, people were out there, each living out their own stories and trying to make their own dreams come true. It was a sappy thought, but as he watched the different lights that seemed to dance all around Odaiba, he figured that maybe sappy was exactly what the world needed at the moment.

"I'm standing out here with a girl in the middle of the freezing night wishing that we were out in the country somewhere so that we could actually see some stars in the sky. I'm sure that that counts for maybe a tiny bit of magic, no?"

Joining him in fondly watching lights in that mystical moist night-air, Hikari agreed that being able to actually see stars would have added to the already pretty night that they had had. Maybe their lives weren't necessarily magical at the moment, and there were still things that made Hikari feel a bit guilty about being out there with him, but it was still nice to hear that despite everything that had happened, that she still had a place within Takeru's wishes.

"I had a dream the other night, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. It was a good dream that I had, but a bad one as well. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but it helped me realize something important. I don't want to be the bad guy, but if we keep going the way that we're going, and you already know exactly what I'm talking about, then that's what both of us are going to be."

"It sounds like you're breaking up with me."

"If only we were that lucky."

It was wrong to joke like that, and Takeru wasn't even going to pretend that it was something that was okay. He thought about what she said about the dream she had had, and agreed with her about wanting the outcome to be different. Even so, he knew that what he wanted and what he wished for were two entirely separate things.

"I don't want to be the bad guy either."

"Do you think that we can pull this off?"

"What?"

"Can we walk away from all this without being the bad guys?"

He said nothing in response, not wanting to confront that answer, and it was only then that he realized just how close he was standing next to the girl who could change his life with a giggle or a smile. Reaching down to grab her hand, she tensed up for a second, but when he squeezed her hand he felt her squeeze back. It was a lovely moment they shared as they watched the twinkling Odaiba, but he hated himself for it because of how disgusting he was being. Somewhere Takeru wondered if maybe a star was shining on them that was hidden by the city lights that seemed to never sleep. He stood there out on that balcony in the cold Japanese night without uttering a single word, staring at the sky in perfect silence.

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><p>I don't know why, but I feel kind of good about this chapter. To fans of Breaking Bad, which might only be an American thing now that I think about it, I leave you with the poem that inspired this chapter.<p>

When I heard the learn'd astronomer,

When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,

When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,

When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,

How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,

Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself,

In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,

Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.

- Walk Whitman


	22. Ghosts of the Sargasso

I think the last update was about two weeks ago? Yeah, I think so. Anyways, I wanted to do good by whoever is reading so here I am again. This is another Daisuke chapter, but one that is different than all the other Daisuke chapters. This is the first one that neither Hikari or Takeru make an appearance, I think. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter to be honest.

Disclaimer: Out of tradition, I don't own Digimon.

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><p>As he leaned against a street lamp in front of the movie theater that he and Takeru had agreed to meet up at with their respective dates for the night, Daisuke couldn't ever recall a time that he had ever been stood up before. He had just gotten off the phone not that long ago with Megumi, a teenaged model whom he had met and had been seeing on and off again at one of the delinquent parties that his sister seemed to throw about every other week. He liked her well enough, as he did any female that could keep up with him in terms of liquor or 'dancing juice' for the more uninitiated, and he thought that she had liked him as well, at least he did until she had called him to cancel and to say that the two of them together was something that wasn't going to work out. Apparently, it wasn't him that was the problem, but herself.<p>

Despite the shame that others may have felt in his situation, such as the middle-aged man who like him had been leaning on another streetlamp all night just a ways down the street, Daisuke wasn't quite sure how to process his emotions. He felt as if it was appropriate to be melancholic or maybe even depressed depending on how much he had or could have emotionally invested in Megumi, but as he stood there under that street lamp, the light seeming to always find a way to shine on him, he found that he honestly didn't care very much at all. Hopefully, he thought, Megumi would be happy with whatever path she took in life.

He considered just walking off and sending Takeru a text saying that he had to cancel the double date and that he regretted it, maybe inviting that middle-aged man who had also seemingly been stood up out for a beer, but there was something holding Daisuke back from doing that. He wasn't sure what it was, especially since everyone other than him was already half an hour late, but there something inside of him telling him that tonight was worth sticking around for, if only to tell Takeru what had happened in person. Sure enough, five minutes later, Daisuke noticed that a familiar figure was walking in his direction.

"Yo."

He called out to the briskly walking girl who was dressed casually enough with denim shorts and a semi-frilly shirt, one that strategically showed off a single strap of her bra, but he ignored all that and gave the teenaged girl an odd look once he realized that Takeru wasn't with her. She reached him and stopped in front of him, accompanied by the clacking of a pair of heel boots that Daisuke had always personally found to be a ridiculous and most likely uncomfortable form of footwear, and he waited quietly to see if his new companion was going to give him an excuse as to why she was late. He somewhat hoped that Ayano would prove him wrong about the fact that he thought she was going to find something to blame so she could excuse her tardiness, but he was a bit cynical with the female sex at the moment due to his recent sort-of break-up with Megumi.

"Sorry I'm late."

He was silent for a moment, waiting to see if she had anything else to say concerning why she was late, but about a minute or two later, and a suspicious look from his dear friend's significant other, Daisuke was honestly a bit satisfied with the fact that Ayano hadn't offered an excuse.

"Don't sweat it. You and me are the only ones here right now."

She wasn't exactly friends with Daisuke, but Ayano had always thought that he seemed like a nice enough guy. Out of all of Takeru's friends she had always liked Daisuke the best, and part of that was because he was the only one of Takeru's friends that actually seemed to genuinely like her in return. Whether it was the young Iori whom she wasn't sure how he got mixed up in with their group, Yamato who had always seemed a bit distant from all the going ons of everyone else, or especially Miyako who didn't quite make it a mystery that she didn't approve of her being with Takeru, all of his friends seemed to be just waiting it out until their eventual break-up. All of them except for Daisuke.

He was a bit weird at times, she didn't know what the hell that staring at her was all about just a few moments ago, but she thought that Daisuke was harmless enough all things considered. She stared at him for a minute just as he had done with her, and something dawned on her once she realized her current surroundings. At the moment it was just her and Daisuke standing under a flickering streetlamp, and her boyfriend was nowhere to be found.

"Where is everyone?"

"I figured Takeru'd be with you considering you guys are dating and all."

"He said that he would meet me here." she paused for a second as her hands gripped tightly onto her extremely expensive purse, and she was trying to remember whether or not she had gotten into a fight with Takeru recently, "This is the right place, right?"

"Yeah this is the right place, not that it matters since the movie started half an hour ago."

"Oh."

"Yup."

Her hands were still fiddling with her purse as they both stood out there together on that always bustling Japanese sidewalk. She noticed that Daisuke wasn't really paying attention to her, his eyes instead wandering to different random people that walked passed them every so often, and it was with that realization that she wondered whether or not he was actually looking for someone. The plan of the night was in fact supposed to be a fun little charming double date, and she had just noticed that Daisuke's own nighttime partner was nowhere to be found.

"So, where's your date?"

He didn't raise himself up from the streetlamp he had been leaning against, honestly he saw no reason to, and he stayed there remaining quiet since he didn't quite know what to say to Ayano. It was embarrassing enough to admit that someone had stood him up on a double date of all things, but what made it worse was having to admit it to an attractive member of the opposite sex. He didn't care that Megumi had decided against his being in her life, but it was still emasculating having to actually say it out loud.

His eyes moved from the different strangers that he had always had a fascination in watching, as they shifted he took longer than a moment to rest them on the other streetlamp warrior that had caught his attention that night, and then they focused on Ayano instead. She seemed genuinely curious, and he figured it was no harm in letting her know about Megumi once he decided that Ayano wasn't going to make fun of him.

"She bailed. Called me like five minutes ago saying that she wouldn't be able to make it tonight. Something about patching things up with her ex, and wanting to give the two of them another shot at true love is how I think she put it. No biggie."

For a reason that was obvious to everyone who knew the relationship troubles that she had had with Takeru, what had happened with Daisuke was something that stung her heart. She wasn't sure whether or not it made her neurotic or clingy, but a day didn't go by where she didn't have paranoid suspicions about Takeru leaving her for Hikari. Hikari may not have actually been Takeru's ex, but with the way that he so blatantly stole glances at her when they were all together, Hikari might as well have been his former lover. She frowned at Daisuke, trying to hide the paranoia that she feared became more transparent with each passing day.

"I'm sorry that that happened."

"Like I said, no biggie."

Not wanting to look him directly in the eye anymore due to the possible uncomfortable direction that the conversation could take, Ayano turned her head to watch the different people that passed Daisuke and herself as the two of them stood quietly together, Ayano being unsure all the while whether or not Takeru was even going to show up. It didn't take that long for her to notice that Daisuke too had begun watching the strangers around them just as she had, and for a moment she wondered about exactly what he saw. She was an artist and perception was the one thing that was either more complex or convoluted than art itself. She sighed, knowing that her own boyfriend would never see life, or the dreams that she had for that life, in the same way that she saw them.

"I'm gonna give Takeru a call, if you don't mind?"

"Go right ahead."

He watched her out of the corner of his eye, in between watching in hidden awe at the different humans who were surfing the concrete sea that was raging in front of him, his vision also finding a way to rest on the other streetlamp warrior, and didn't say a word as Ayano called a number, waited for it to go to voice mail, and proceed to call it again.

"He didn't answer."

"He wouldn't just bail if it wasn't something important."

It was something he said matter-of-factly, as Daisuke had always had faith in Takeru despite the friction that a mutual love interest had caused them, but he could tell that Ayano wasn't reassured by it. She was still frowning, and it was a sight that greatly contrasted with a different laughing teenager that had just exited the movie theater they were waiting in front of, a random guy having an arm draped around her shoulder. It made him curious, were Takeru and Ayano ever like that strangeland couple whom Daisuke was sure he would never see again?

"And he couldn't even at least send a text saying why the hell he didn't show up?"

"You were half an hour late."

"I still came."

This time, it was Daisuke who sighed. He wasn't sure where Takeru was, or even if everything was even okay, but he hoped that whatever it was that was holding him back, that it was important.

"Takeru can be odd sometimes. I remember one time back in junior high something pretty dangerous happened, and none of us even found out about it until everything was already said and done. He didn't take the time to let anyone know that something was wrong, and just like that he set off to do it. If something is up, I trust his judgment."

Trust was a word that she was having more and more trouble with the longer she was with Takeru. She hated being the girlfriend who nagged or the girlfriend who couldn't help but worry that her boyfriend was going to cheat on her, but with what everything currently was, she honestly thought that things would never be fully okay between them.

"Did that something that you mentioned have something to do with Hikari-chan?"

"How'd you know?"

"It always does."

The wind picked up a bit, and Daisuke just watched as Ayano began clutching at her bare arms. She was troubled, he had been through enough heartaches to know when somebody else was going through the same situation, and he considered handing the girl his jacket. He knew that what she was worried about wasn't the cold, but he figured that it would help if she knew that there was somebody who cared, even in the slightest.

"Damn."

"What?"

"I kind of feel like a jerk now that I've bummed you out."

"Takeru's the jerk, not you."

"I think that's the first time I've ever actually heard that."

"Well, it's true. He's a jackass."

He didn't answer her back as he took a minute to process what she said. He had never seen Takeru act like a jackass, then again he had never had a possible sexual relationship with the guy either, but even then it wasn't his place to judge their relationship or demonize anyone. Like a coin, there were two sides to every story.

"He's a guy who feels like he has certain obligations to certain people. All I'm asking for is for you to trust him."

"If you were in my shoes, would you?"

"Not a chance."

"Exactly."

With that, it seemed to Daisuke that Ayano had accepted something about her relationship with Takeru. He wasn't quite sure what it was that she had accepted exactly, though he doubted that any good would come of it. Her shoulders were slump, her face seemed to be in another world, and to him it looked like she had given up on being happy. He looked out into the different people that passed them by as time clicked away, and wondered about how many dreams of all these strangers would never go achieved. His eyes drifted to the streetlamp warrior once again and thought, was this the last night that he would ever dance in dreamland?

"So now what?"

"I guess I'll take the subway home."

"What, no chauffeur today?"

"I could really use the time to think some things over," she paused as there really wasn't much else to say about her situation, at least not much else that Daisuke needed to know about. He was a nice guy, but she didn't think that that warranted spilling her fears and insecurities to him. Instead, she bowed her head in the manner that she had always been taught, before she gave Daisuke a wave goodbye, and began to walk away, "Thank you, Daisuke-kun. I'm sorry about your date."

He didn't say anything in response, and simply returned the wave nonchalantly as he watched her begin to walk away from him. Despite all the possibilities that were to be had in nighttime Japan, despite all the romance or humor, the night had been a disappointing one so far.

He hummed a song that was stuck in his head as Ayano strolled down the sidewalk with other randoms who had taken to the streets that night, all the while hoping that Takeru could find a way out of the hole that he was digging himself into, but all his thoughts left his mind the moment that he realized that the streetlamp warrior was on the move. The warrior was walking quickly, passing by Daisuke almost without notice, but what put him on nerve was when the warrior slowed down his pace, not that far behind Ayano.

Pushing himself up from his own streetlamp that he had grown accustomed to for the night, Daisuke headed in Ayano's direction. He didn't know what the warrior had planned, or even if the warrior even had a plan, but he wasn't going to risk anybody getting hurt. He was walking faster than most everyone else in the street, causing him to bump into quite a few people in fact, and he was a bit relieved once he was able to make it passed the warrior, who was still walking suspiciously slow behind Ayano. A few elbows bumping into him later, Daisuke made it to his dear friend's girlfriend. She looked at him with a confused look on her face, this growing once Daisuke draped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him.

"Eh, I didn't really like her anyways. I prefer girls with natural hair colors. In my opinion brunette is the way to go."

She tried to pull away from him at first, but stopped once she felt how strongly Daisuke was holding onto her. This was the first time she had ever seen Daisuke act the way that he was, and she wasn't sure whether or not this was something to be afraid about. She whispered to him, hoping that her impression of him being a nice guy wasn't wrong.

"What are you doing?"

"Look, I'm not just gonna let you walk around at night by yourself and take the subway. It can be dangerous at this hour when you're all alone. I thought that someone was following you."

Relaxing a bit, she lowered her eyes as they walked. If Daisuke was telling the truth, which she was mostly sure was true, she was thankful. She was still a bit uncomfortable with the fact that a guy who wasn't her boyfriend had his arm around her, but she thought that it was okay since it was at least someone who Takeru trusted.

"Don't you have to head home?"

"Do you not want my company?"

She wondered what Takeru would say or how he would feel had he been witness to the current situation. She was sure that he would understand, hopeful that he would feel jealous, but it was that in particular that made her feel uneasy with her own thoughts. She herself had felt envy, for a while it was all that she thought about, but even though it was still something that haunted her, she didn't want Takeru to want her solely out of jealousy. She knew that he didn't love her, at least he didn't yet, but if that were to change, Ayano wanted to know that the love was something pure.

"I don't care."

"Then it's a date."

With the way that he felt her stiffen for a second, Daisuke thought that maybe using the word 'date' was a poor choice of vocabulary. He was considering his options of apologizing or playing it off as a joke, but then he felt her relax under his arm.

"A date, huh?"

Grinning because he hadn't frightened her, Daisuke pulled her in a little closer so he could whisper something to her.

"Yeah, a date. And what's a date without some of this?"

Ayano watched carefully as Daisuke slightly opened up the side of his jacket that she wasn't pressed up against, and was a bit surprised to see a glass bottle filled with a clear liquid.

"Vodka?"

"Afraid you can't handle it?"

"Actually, I'm afraid you can't keep up."

And it was that challenge from Ayano that caught Daisuke off guard. He wasn't sure whether or not the warrior was still following them, and if so whether or not he was still watching them, but he thought that spending some time with Ayano was going to be more fun than he initially thought. So they walked together through that roaring wave of randoms, the both of them finding themselves quite comfortable just exactly as they were. The city lights were shining all around them, and there was one more thing that pleasantly surprised Daisuke about Ayano as they strolled towards the glittering spirits of the night. She smelled like sugar.

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><p>Next chapter will be TakeruHikari, and will explain why Takeru stood up his female. As I said, I wasn't how I felt, but expect another update soon.


	23. The Silence of the Lambs

It has been five months since I last updated this, and I would like to say I'm sorry. To be frank I'm very self-conscious when it comes to this story since I'm not sure of which way to think about it. For starters it heavily features on OC character which I've started having doubts about, and then the writing style of when I first started this story. Either way, I felt that it was about time that I updated.

This is something that I had part of it typed out a while ago, but I was never quite sure what to think about. Either way, this is a short chapter this update. I'm sure a lot of you are surprised to see this and probably figured that I had discontinued it, but here I am, showing you that this story is still kicking. If I'm slow on updating, feel free to come and kick me in my internet groin.

This chapter explains why Takeru stood up the double date.

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon

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><p>"And that is why I love you, Yagami-san. You are my star, my perfect silence," Takeru was finally able to say out loud, the words having been stuck in his throat as he sat across from Hikari, the two of them sitting in an Odaiba cafe that Miyako had always raved about.<p>

The cafe was set up nice enough, the style of it was distinctly American and it showed right down to the menus that were printed in English among other things. Although, the novelty of the place didn't seem to faze Takeru all that much, but he thought that was just because of the reason that they were there. The words he had said felt much too dirty for the happy-go-lucky cafe they were in, and he couldn't help but frown once he thought more about it.

Hikari herself hadn't replied, and simply continued to stir away at her coffee, not daring to look at Takeru after what he just said. The two of them had been on a lot better terms recently than they had been for much of the previous year, the ugliness of rejection and the subsequent awkwardness caused by Takeru's new love life taking it's toll on their friendship, but things had been looking up more recently.

"Hikari," she heard the voice across from her say, Takeru sounding more pensive than what she was used to hearing from him.

She didn't respond, but at the same time she stopped stirring her coffee. She could only do that for so long until it stopped looking like something that was done absentmindedly instead of intentionally. She hadn't thought that the two of them would have to have another conversation like this again so soon, though she would have been lying if she had said that she didn't expect it somewhere down the road. Frowning, she finally looked up at Takeru for the first time since he had spoken, the words he had said not being something that she exactly wanted to hear.

"Do you have anything to say, Hikari?" Takeru found himself finally asking once it became apparent that the nervous girl in front of him wasn't going to say what she thought about the situation without a little prodding on his part.

To buy a few more moments of time she took a sip of her coffee, before she sighed and set it down. It was delicious, but not sweet enough to ease her into a better comfort zone. "Well what am I supposed to say to that?"

He looked away and rubbed the back of his neck for a few seconds before he resigned himself back to reality and took another glance at the piece of paper that Hikari had given him to read. "How about we start with who is this from?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Hikari admitted before she paused mid-sentence as if unsure on how to continue. She had never been very good at hiding facial expressions, Takeru taking advantage of this during the uncountable card games that the two of them had played throughout the years, and even though she tried to force it away she knew that it looked to him as if she was debating on whether or not to give it to him straight, "except I'm pretty sure that Miyako has something to do with it since she's been trying to set me up on a date with one of Ken's friends."

Not knowing what to say, Takeru was silent for a moment. She was watching him intently gauging for a response, but he wasn't able to give it as quickly as he would have hoped. Honestly, he had no clue on how he should have felt or how to even react. It seemed like something that he should have been happy to hear, Hikari finding herself a guy oddly solving quite a bit of problems for him, but truth be told it wasn't a solution that he found acceptable. What's more, he didn't like the fact that it was a couple of their shared friends who had apparently had this Paris-bright idea.

Miyako and Ken knew the history that he and Hikari had between them, both the good stories and the more awkward or uncomfortable ones, and it somewhat rubbed him the wrong way that they would speak to Hikari about delving more into the world of dating without talking to him first. He knew that he had no claim on who Hikari dated or didn't date, but he still would have liked to have been told beforehand, or at the least had been given the courtesy of a warning. As he watched Hikari give him a smile that was more awkward than the silence that he had let fall between them, Takeru cleared his throat if just to make the silence end for a moment at the least.

"We're Ken's friends." Takeru sheepishly finally said at last, his brain freezing on him.

His face remained blank as Hikari frowned again, not seeming to be quite pleased with his answer. Feeling like an idiot, Takeru fiddled with his hands in his lap, thankfully outside of Hikari's view.

"He lives all the way in Tamachi, Takeru. Of course he has friends other than us."

"Yeah, of course." He answered slowly, which didn't really make the subject matter any more comfortable to tread.

Takeru reached for his cup of coffee that he had yet to even start drinking. The cup looked like it was something expensive, something that pretentious rich people like Masato threw their easily earned money at, and truth be told he wasn't sure what to think about it. On one hand it made him feel slightly fancy and that it was a cafe that was worth going to, but on the other it reminded him of the kinds of things that certain people, like the Oshiros and whatever other mafia or cartel organizations, did for money.

Deciding not to drink the coffee at the moment, he slightly pushed it away just as he pushed away whatever other thoughts had sneaked into his head, but then he remembered about the whole Hikari situation and he didn't know how he was going to stomach the rest of the conversation. Deciding to concentrate on only Hikari for the time being, even if the thought of her dating some stranger wasn't a very nice thought to have, he figured that that particular subject was better to dwell on than on cold-blooded murder and prostitution rings.

"So," again with words that were spoken much too slowly, Takeru wondered if his brother Yamato had ever been as bad with the opposite sex as he was, "is he a nice guy?"

In this case, as it often does, 'nice' meant was she attracted to him? Pushing aside his feelings of wanting to smash this dude's face in, he knew that it was better for him to know the answer to his question than for it to remain a mystery.

Hikari looked blankly at him for a moment, but then she did something that Takeru didn't expect to see. She laughed. "Oh yeah, Takeru. I'm totally head over heels over this guy that I don't even know." she pointed at the paper that was right in front of Takeru. "Do you really expect me to fall for that kind of flowery language?"

Takeru smiled, and whatever insecurities he had immediately floated away. He couldn't stop himself from grinning as he raised the paper up and cleared his throat to read a different section of the letter in his best narrator voice. "I don't know how much time we'll have to spend together, my sweet spider monkey, but let's start with forever."

She giggled, pretty sure that she had heard that line in a crappy movie somewhere before and she sighed, contently this time, and prepared herself to relax. She took another drink of her coffee, and was surprised that she barely realized how tasty it was. She rose her nose up in faux snobbishness, before she waved Takeru off like a queen would a servant. "Proceed to regale me with another section, dear knight."

He grinned again and rose his own cup of coffee in celebration before drinking some. He let the taste settle in and nodded, reminding himself to thank Miyako for the heads up on this cafe. He set the cup down and scanned the love letter to find another good part. "The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that I was. Lovers don't eventually meet somewhere, they're in each other all along."

She was pretty sure she had read that one somewhere as well, but decided not to say anything and gave another queenly wave to Takeru to give him the signal to continue. He nodded at her and began reading the letter again. "I have been astonished that men could die martyrs for a religion, I have shuddered at it. I shudder no more, because I too could be martyred for my own religion. Love is my religion, and I could die for that. I could die for you."

She smiled, happy to be in a good mood again. Absentmindedly, she added a bit more sugar to her coffee and began stirring again. "He does come off a little strong don't you think?"

"Yeah," he replied as he looked down at the letter, before biting the inside of his cheek as he thought of something. "This isn't the only time you've gotten a love letter."

It wasn't a question, more like an acknowledging statement. And Hikari stopped stirring so that she could lean forward just a smidgen and better study Takeru's face. He looked rather blank, not sad or jealous or anything like that, just blank. Not the dopey kind of blank though, or the stunned one, just one that bordered on him looking bored. She let some thoughts bounce around on the inside of her head for a moment or two before she answering.

"Well," she began to admit, "no. I've gotten a few other love letters before, but I'm not sure from who." She shrugged, figuring that doing so would show to Takeru that it was something that didn't really matter all that much.

Slowly, he raised his hand. "I know who they're from."

She narrowed her eyes at him, not sure if he was serious or if he was just making a joke about the whole secret admirer love letter thing. "Who?" she asked skeptically, doubting that Takeru actually had an answer.

"Me and Daisuke." he replied honestly, while looking away from Hikari and off to the side since his face was already much too flushed that it was already pretty noticeable. "I remember one time back when we thought we were competing for you, that we each wrote a letter to you and stuffed it into your locker at the same time."

Biting her lip, Hikari wasn't sure if it was wise to believe him just yet. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Both of us wrote that we wanted to meet up with you on the same day and at the same time, and we were going to see which one of us you were going to go off and meet."

Immediately, Hikari rose her finger in contemplation. That was way back when they were still in middle school, and if she recalled correctly she still had those letters sitting somewhere in the bottom of a shoe box right in her closet right between some of her brother's sports gear and a bag of emergency supplies that her mother forced her to keep on hand. "That was you guys? I thought it was a joke so I ended up not going to either."

He raised his cup again playfully. "It's all for the better I think, considering everything."

She considered asking him what he meant, but stopped herself since that was something that she was sure would be ugly. At the moment they were having a good outing, there were no older brothers hassling them, no evil digimon to defeat in battle, no Ayano which Hikari was especially thankful for, and it was just her and Takeru having a nice time. She didn't want to spoil it.

Although, that seemed to change when Takeru received a phone call and excused himself to go see who it was. She sat patiently at first, but then began worrying around the twenty minute mark when he still didn't show up. She didn't want to intrude but had a bad feeling about what had happened, and after explaining to the waitress that she was going to go check up on Takeru, Hikari made her way to the outside of the cafe. She found him there, sitting on the concrete just off to the entrance of the cafe, and he was simply staring forward, not looking at anything in particular.

She considered for a moment about what to do, before she braced herself, and knelt down to look Takeru in his eyes. "What's wrong, Takeru?"

He didn't respond at first, until she reached over and shook him a bit. Takeru rubbed his hands in his face, and when he removed them to look back at Hikari there were tears brimming in his eyes. "Yamato is missing."

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><p>You'll see where Yamato is in the next chapter, which will be told from the perspective of a member of a Yakuza. At first I had meant for the Yakuza to only be mentioned in passing, but I figured, why not use them? The digimon may also play a bigger part, but that's all in good time.<p> 


	24. I Know Why the Caged Bird Kills

As I said in the last chapter, this update will be told from the point of view of a Yakuza member, and things might start getting a bit more...hardcore from here. Not that every chapter from here on out will feature Yakuza, the focus is after all two teenagers named Hikari and Takeru who are still trying to figure out their lives and if the other has a special place in it, but the Yakuza aspect of this may stick around for a plot I'm still trying to decide to go with or not. If not, hey, maybe they'll all just vanish?

As I've mentioned before, most of my original fiction has to do with criminals, most of the time with the criminals being the protagonists or villain protagonists, but yeah, here we go. Let's hope that Yamato isn't dead, eh?

Disclaimer: Out of tradition, don't own Digimon.

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><p>His eyes watched the lightly guarded warehouse as he listened to the humming of the van he was sitting in, and Goro frowned as he clutched onto the tarp in his lap. He wondered if Takeru's family had noticed yet that Ishida Yamato had gone missing, and it was something that felt dirty to Goro since Yamato had nothing at all to do with the Yakuza clans, himself being a fan of the cute musicians who made up Ishida's band members. The only thing that he was grateful for was the fact that he had been told that his current mission was completely necessary, and that there was no turning back. He watched the warehouse with a glint in his eye, prepared for what he had to do.<p>

Beside him in the driver's seat of the van an older familiar man, Ayano's chauffeur, also stared out towards the warehouse before he addressed Goro after a moment of thought. "Will the young miss be okay without either of us watching her tonight?"

Goro was silent for a second as he considered telling the Butcher that Ayano was perfectly capable of watching over herself, but he decided not to say anything of that matter since it was indeed their job, his oath, to keep the girl safe. After all, he did in fact feel a little odd and a bit concerned that no one was watching over Ayano that night, Goro usually using the pretense of being the fabulous friend that adored being the third wheel to make sure that he was dutiful in his job. Of course, he was indeed fabulous and he did indeed adore being the aforementioned third wheel, but that had always been a surprising plus when it had come to his lady.

He didn't voice his thoughts though or any concerns, and instead Goro just waved it off. "There shouldn't be anything too troublesome. She's out on a date with her boyfriend tonight, and there should be a few other people there as well."

The Butcher frowned, since he had thought that it was only going to be the young miss and Takaishi out there by themselves. "Who are the other people?"

"Someone in our class named Motomiya Daisuke and his date. He's not the smartest guy out there, but he's a nice person and mostly harmless, except for the fact that he also has a demon just like Takaishi does."

"Is his demon the same kind? The pig-bat?"

"No." Goro denied, having already gotten a look at both of the abominations in question. "His demon doesn't have wings, and it's blue instead of creamy orange. Just like the other demon it seems to be mostly just a companion than anything else, but I am glad that we're still watching him and his family, just to be safe."

The Butcher nodded, understanding the situation but not liking the way that it currently was. This was all hitting too close to home, too close to a girl he had sworn to protect all the way back when she had run around with pig-tails and skinned knees, not braided hair and teenage boys between her legs. "Takaishi's brother, the target, also has a demon if I'm not mistaken. I feel rather uncomfortable about the fact that the young miss is becoming involved with these people."

"I don't think you need to worry, Nakano-san. Despite the fact that they keep the company of demons," the word 'demons' was quiet as it exited Goro's mouth, the young gangster thinking that perhaps 'demons' was the wrong thing to call them, "my instincts tell me that these are good people."

The Butcher scoffed, the overconfidence of young Yakuza members being the reason that many of them ended up in graves rather than at a seat in one of the councils of the higher echelons of a Yakuza clan like so many of them dreamed of. "And I'm supposed to just trust your instincts?"

Goro simply shrugged. "Maybe not," he responded, not a hint of malice in his voice, "but you are supposed to obey your orders."

Nakano just shook his head, he himself preferring to resolve the situation by killing the demons preemptively instead of just trusting that the young miss wouldn't be in peril, but Goro was right about his obedience. His hand that was on the steering wheel gripped onto it tightly, before he sighed and figured that it would be best to just let it go.

"Do you know where the young master is?" the Butcher asked, partly out of curiosity, but mostly just to get his mind off of what they had just discussed, "The situation with Takaishi's brother really is something that should demand his attention."

With his gloved hands, Goro caressed the tarped object in his lap for a moment, preparing his Dark Passenger for the adventure that lay ahead. "Oshiro-sama asked that he accompany him to the sit-down tonight."

"We shouldn't have to rely on the Chinese of all people to keep up our presence in the Americas," the Butcher spat after a minute of silence, since in all his years in service to the Oshiros he had lost clan brothers to Triads during that time, though not without sending his own fair share of the communist bastards to Hell himself.

Knowing full well the famous hatred that Nakano had for the Chinese, and the Koreans, and the Vietnamese, and even the Laotians, Goro just ignored it. "Well, what can you do? Right now we have to focus on saving Takaishi's brother from getting killed."

Laughing at the nonchalant way with how the young Yakuza had spoken, the Butcher smirked and remembered why exactly this soldier was someone who was much more than just a soldier. "Do you need help with the mission? It's been a long time since I've marched off to battle, but I'm there if you need me, Comrade."

"As much as I'd like to see the Butcher of Urayasu at work, I was told to do this by myself. I need to make a show to the Amagawa clan about just how dangerous one Oshiro soldier can be."

"I see."

As he looked outside again and frowned once more, the humming of the van doing little to calm his nerves, Goro couldn't help but want to be somewhere else at the moment. There was nothing cool or badass about being a gangster, but he was loyal to the family that had saved him as a boy from that life he spent dancing for pocket change on the street. There was a musical playing in the theaters that night, a musical he had wanted to watch with Ayano who would probably end up watching it on her date or whatever, but he had obligations that came first, that had to, before anything else in his life.

"Regardless," the frown remained on Goro's face, especially since he fondly remembered a time where the person he was about to name had been dear to his heart, "I don't expect killing Hayuata Toro to be that difficult."

The Butcher nodded in agreement, the Amagawa clan having always been below his respect. "That fool has no idea how weak his clan is and how low he sits in it."

Goro didn't say anything out loud, but he mused that he himself had once sat lowly in the Oshiro clan as well, at first being just the homeless kid with junkie parents who the Oshiro patriarch, a kingpin who ordered the deaths of countless, had taken into his home out of compassion. Still, unlike Toro, Goro had risen after he had become the best friend and eternal protector of a young girl named Ayano, the blood brother and sometimes rumored lover of the next heir to the Oshiro clan, and especially after it had been discovered that Goro had greater talents in one particular field of expertise than any other gangster who called the Oshiro clan their family.

"Can you lower my window while I get ready?" Goro finally requested, ready and eager to finish the night.

Nakano gave a curt nod. "Of course."

While Nakano rolled down the window to where he was sitting, Goro finally removed the tarp that had been covering the object that he had been holding in his lap for the better part of the night. As he did that he also opened up the glove department of the van's passenger seat, and pulled out an ammo cartridge that he then loaded into his Dragunov SVD semi-automatic sniper rifle. It was a rather old model of the gun, what with the rifle being created by the no longer existing Soviet Union, but Goro had a fondness for the classic feel of the weapon in his hand.

Aiming the gun out the window and looking through its scope, Goro quickly confirmed that the two guards who were standing watch outside the small building's entrance were the only ones who were there. He frowned a bit since he truly did think that a Yakuza like the Amagawa clan should really have had better staff on their employment. Ignoring everything else, Goro held his breath to better his aim, and within the next two seconds, and two flicks of an index finger, both of the guards had been shot in the head.

Lowering his gun, and handing it off to Nakano, Goro opened his van door and took a step outside. After giving a nod to Nakano, and after closing his van door, Goro walked to the back of the van and opened up the double doors. What he found was his trusty custom made duster that already had all the appropriate holster and ammo compartments, and after putting it on he began loading it with what he thought he needed.

It didn't take him long to stock up and Goro was traveling rather light since he didn't think that he needed more than two or three weapons to complete the mission that had been given to him. The Amagawa clan was weak just like Nakano had said, and in the end most of that family amounted to bigger talkers than anything else. In his time spent in service to the Oshiro family, he hadn't met one Amagawa who walked the way of the warrior. It was a dirty thought, killing what were just basically thugs, but it wasn't his choice to decide who died and it also wasn't his place to question what was decided. He was a Reaper, nothing more, and it was the Oshiros who put the names of their enemies on his list. Double checking his equipment one last time, Goro began to make his way over to the small building where Ishida Yamato was being held hostage.

He hurried with a quick pace over to the warehouse, it was a brisk night and he really would have preferred to be out on a stroll with a dashing rogue or some sort of handsome charmer out there in the Japanese darkness, but as he walked past the two bodies of the men he had killed just a minute ago, he knew that his night would be more of a horrorshow than anything else. He took one final deep breath as he prepared himself, ignoring the blood stains on the outside of the building as he opened up the front door of the warehouse and walked inside.

He made sure to close the door quietly, but after thinking on it, it probably didn't matter how loud he even was at the moment. Not that much farther into the warehouse was a room with an opened door that had the sound of laughter and loud music pouring out of it, coarse music that lauded the supposed virtues of selling drugs and having sex with women, and Goro only shook his head at the fact that so many young people preferred this kind of music over all the different love songs there were in the world, over things like The Beatles or Frank Sinatra. It was a shame really, he thought, as he reached into his duster and pulled out an IMI Uzi, courtesy of Israel.

Goro closed his eyes for a second, partially to prepare himself and partially to tell himself that this was necessary, though he wasn't sure which case he was leaning more to, before he opened his eyes and stepped into the doorway of the opened room. Inside were a few young men and teenagers, seven people in total, who were playing poker or something similar it seemed, and they looked up at Goro when they first saw him, not immediately realizing what was about to happen. Completely silent, Goro raised his Israeli gun and unloaded his Uzi on the unsuspecting players. Some were shot in the head and killed instantly, others in the throat and had survived for a few moments before another bullet caught them, but as Goro's gun ran out of ammo, there was only one Amagawa soldier who was left alive, barely, but still alive.

Calmly, Goro took a step inside the room and walked over to the stereo to turn off the music, never appreciating it when men degraded women by calling them 'bitches'. He looked away from the stereo and walked throughout the room as he inspected the carnage, and he raised an eyebrow in dull surprise as he saw that he had not killed everyone just yet. He walked over to that last teenager, who by the looks of it was no older than 16 or maybe even a bit younger than that, and as the bloody and twitching teenager reached for a gun that was lying near him, Goro kicked it away. He considered for a moment what to do, he could easily just leave the teenager there considering that he wasn't a threat anymore, before Goro shrugged and tucked the Uzi back into his duster. Instead he bent down to get a better look at the teenager's face, all the while idly wondering if Ayano was enjoying the musical she was no doubt watching, before he reached into his duster again to pull out a knife that he then used to slit the teenager's throat.

He stood up and watched as the teenager gasped for air that would never reach his lungs and began bleeding up from his gashed throat, before Goro sighed considering how much life the kid should have had ahead of him. He jammed the knife into the poker table as he walked away from the mess he left behind, a message to their clan, but stopped walking when he heard someone shouting and running in the direction of the room he was in, no doubt having heard the sound from his Uzi. He carefully pressed himself against the wall that was at the entrance of the room, and reached into his murder jacket to pull and prepare the handgun that he had taken out of its holster. When the running stopped just outside the room, and when the person who had been running slowly and cautiously peered into said room, Goro pulled the trigger of his gun and brought his body count up to ten for the night.

He stood still as he looked at his latest victim's corpse for a moment, before deciding to leave the room on account of feeling that there was no one else who was headed there just yet. He began walking down the corridor that lead to a larger storage facility, but paused when at the end of the corridor, he heard something rustling about in a small janitor's closet that was located near the end of it. The closet had a wooden door, one that didn't seem so thick, and he wondered for a second if it was Yamato that was hiding there or not. At least that was his first thought, before he heard what sounded like a person shaking violently with fear, a person that was armed. A part of him wished that the person had been quieter so that he wouldn't have heard him and so that the person in the closet could have gotten away, but it wasn't as if he could change anything about it now. Feeling as if he had no other option, Goro raised his handgun and shot three times into the wooden door of the janitor's closet. Afterward, he watched it carefully for a minute or so, before deciding that it was okay to continue with his mission when he saw a small pool of blood begin to seep through from under the door.

The warehouse sounded empty as he walked through it, with the exception of a rat or two scurrying about on all the boxes and boxes filled with hopefully guns or drugs that the Oshiros could sell later when they possibly would receive it as a show of apology from the Amagawa clan, and he held his breath as he walked to the other end of the warehouse, looking for where they could have possibly hidden Yamato. There was a bathroom at the other end of the warehouse, and an office too, and after taking a quick look in the bathroom, seeing that there was no one in there, he then placed his attention on the main office. It was risky, but he immediately kicked the door open, and prepared to shoot whatever was inside, though he lowered his gun when all he saw in there was Ishida Yamato, handcuffed to a metal railing that was on the wall.

The young man looked tired and mentally broken, but thankfully he didn't look like he was hurt at all. Goro walked in closer to get a better look at him, though he kept his guard up since he still had yet to kill Hayuata Toro, and it was then that Yamato finally looked up at him. At first, the young man backed away at the sight of his gun, but as Goro holstered his handgun again as a sign of good faith towards Ishida, they then met eyes and Goro nodded at him once, said nod saying more than Yamato could have ever hoped ever since he had been kidnapped. Goro smiled since even though it looked like Hayuata had gotten away, at least he could return Yamato back to his family. Though, not before a hot meal.

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><p>I'm not sure what to think about Goro from this point on. I'll leave that up to you.<p>

Next update will be three weeks from now? Let's say three weeks.


	25. Where the Wild Things Are

**This is my third time trying to upload this chapter.**

It had been a long night for Yamato, longer than he would have liked, but he sat patiently in the office of the chief of the Odaiba police force, the chief having left to get the both of them something to drink around five minutes or so ago. He didn't really like coffee to be honest, he was more of a water and occasional beer kind of guy, but some nice black coffee would do him some good to keep him up and give him some energy on account of the fact that it was already three in the morning. He had at least gotten something to eat, the person who he had originally thought was a cop had some food already waiting for him in the van that they had driven off in, but the more and more he thought about it, the more and more the whole situation didn't sit right with him. He knew that cops didn't always have the best reputation for when it came to handling potential suspects, but all the bodies he had seen when the person who in retrospect looked as young as a teenager led him out of that godforsaken warehouse, that most definitely did not look like police work.

He didn't voice that particular opinion to anyone else though, instead preferring to wait until he had a chance to talk with the chief of police that his teenaged rescuer had informed Yamato would be waiting for him as soon as he was dropped off. True to the killer's words, when he had been dropped off at the Odaiba station the chief was waiting in the lobby, having apparently received a phone call telling him that someone with important information involving ongoing investigations was going to be arriving shortly, this someone being Yamato himself. His nerves were shaken a bit, though he was probably a bit more calm than others would have been in the very same ordeal considering his history with near death experiences in the Digital World, but he still would have preferred if there was something to occupy his mind other than the tense waiting where he would finally be able to tell the authorities about what exactly had gone down.

Yamato's knee was shaking in anxiety as he sat opposite the empty chair that belonged to the chief, and it was then that he began to finally look around the room, more so that he could have something to focus on than anything else really. To be honest the room rather lived up to his expectations of what he would expect an authority figure's office to look like, what with awards and plaques of decorated service being up and around the room, more than seemed typical actually, and the chief of course also had photographs of what Yamato assumed was his family sitting on his desk. The one thing that didn't quite sit right with him though, the one thing that bothered him even if he didn't know exactly why he would be bothered in the first place, was the fact that on the chief's desk was a plaque that read his name of 'Oshiro Minoru'. For the life of him he couldn't exactly place where he had heard the name 'Oshiro' before, but there was a vague sense that Yamato had that told him that it was a name that he should have known from somewhere.

His thoughts didn't linger much on that however, because it was then that the door of the office finally opened, an older Japanese gentleman walking in with a cup of coffee in each hand. Yamato watched as the Japanese man gave a curt thanks to the person who held the door open for him to enter, and Yamato himself thanked the man when the man quickly made his way over to him to hand him his coffee. He raised his eyebrow however when the Japanese gentleman, apparently Chief Oshiro actually, set his own cup of coffee down on his desk before proceeding to walk around the room to close the blinds so that no one from the rest of the office could peer in on them.

"I hope you like your coffee black," the chief joked as he finally made his way over to his desk and sat in his chair, "because I'm not one your groupies who is willing to up and go grab you a fresh one."

It was with that that Yamato's eyebrow remained arched, because it wasn't everyday that he met an adult who knew of his semi-fame due to his band. Usually if anything it was a lonely single mother or an unfulfilled housewife who Yamato met that was into his music and that would then proceed to actually come onto him, which was actually pretty creepy to him because more often than not his older fangirls were women old enough to be his mother, but never once had he actually met a man outside of the industry that knew about his musical success.

"You know about my music?" he asked, curious even though Yamato figured that the chief was just making small talk to break whatever ice still remained between them.

Chief Oshiro simply shrugged. "My daughter Mayumi is a big fan of yours. I see a poster of you every time I go into her room to check on her."

Yamato nodded as he took a sip of his black coffee and gave another glance at the photos sitting on the chief's desk. There was one of a younger looking Oshiro Minoru dressed in wedding attire with a beautiful old world grace type of woman, then another with the chief dressed in his uniform and giving a proud salute towards the camera, and finally there was one last photo with the chief and his family, which included his aforementioned wife, a son also dressed in a police officer's uniform, and finally a teenage girl who he figured was Mayumi that looked to be around Takeru's age give or take a year.

"She looks lovely," he quietly said at last, photographs of families who were still together always creating a sense of melancholy in Yamato considering his own family situation, and how they had all been broken up.

Surprisingly, the chief just laughed. "She isn't. I love her and all, but she's kind of pain in the ass. Once I had to reprimand her for nearly getting a mute girl killed. Nobody said anything, pun not intended, but I still knew what had gone down there once I received reports from my people."

Yamato rubbed the back of his neck for a moment since he had no idea as to what exactly he could say to that, before he just shrugged it off and decided to just get on with giving the chief his statement. "Do you think it's okay if we talk about what happened to me now?"

The chief's smiling face and jokey demeanor suddenly disappeared as the older man just sighed, it seeming to Yamato as if his kidnapping and the murder of his captors was something that the chief didn't want to actually discuss. It was then as the chief frowned that Yamato actually barely noticed just how scarred Oshiro Minoru's face actually was, both literally with all the markings that a hero cop who put the safety of others before his own welfare would have, and scars that were less visible that told Yamato that old Minoru had done things in his life that he had been ashamed about and things that he didn't want to do, invisible scars that the young musician could see because they were scars that he himself had as well.

The chief took a sip of his ever cooling coffee and shook his head before he responded to Yamato, not looking the young man in his eyes. "You mean about how members of the Amagawa Yakuza kidnapped you to make quick money off the ransom of an up and coming musician? And how after an internal struggle between the members, a struggle that resulted in their deaths, how said musician was able to escape on his own, unharmed?"

At the words of the chief who had appeared more jolly than anything else at first, Yamato felt a sense of dread inside him that he hadn't felt since he had been chained up in that warehouse with no idea of what exactly was going to happen to him. "That's not what went down."

Without replying immediately, Chief Oshiro Minoru set his coffee down on his desk and stood up, taking that moment to fish out a manila envelope from one of the drawers of his desk before handing it over to Yamato. "According to my brother, yes it is."

"Your brother?" Yamato asked as he grabbed onto the envelope that the chief was handing him, completely in the dark as to what its contents could be.

Chief Oshiro remained silent, and it was with that silence that Yamato pushed away his fears for the moment and opened the envelope to see what was hidden inside. The first thing that he pulled out was a photograph of his mother while she was walking to her car, the next was a photo of his father while the man talked on his cell phone and smoked a cigarette. There was a photo of himself while he played at one of his concerts, but the last photo was a photo of Takeru while his little brother was walking home from school with Daisuke and Hikari. He had no idea what these photographs of his family meant, and didn't look up until the chief answered his questions without being further prompted to.

"Saving you was a risk," Chief Oshiro stopped and forced himself to go on and the say the words that disgusted him, "and it was done as a favor to someone who wants to see you alive. These photos are to eliminate that risk, and to remind you that certain things could happen to go wrong again, that is depending on your statement that you give us."

Not thinking it through, Yamato immediately stood up and swung a punch over the desk between him and the now standing Chief Oshiro, hitting the older man directly in the face and completely spilling both cups of their coffees that had been sitting on the desk. The chief fell down on his back, stunned for a second at the punch that he never expected would ever come. The chief wiped some of the little blood that escaped him off the corner of his mouth, and slowly but surely Oshiro Minoru made his way to stand back up again. As Yamato watched, he expected the chief to have burning fury in his eyes, he already came to terms with the fact that he was probably going to be arrested for assaulting a police officer, but what he saw when Chief Oshiro looked back at him wasn't rage, hell, it didn't even look like it was discomfort or annoyance, but instead there was a look of sadness in the older man's eyes.

"Sit down and let's have a talk, Yamato." Chief Oshiro finally breathed out to end the silence. He recognized the look in the musician's face when the young man had hit him, it was a look that he knew meant that Ishida would do anything and everything to protect the ones that he loved, and it made him think of his own family. Not the other Oshiros though, not the Yakuza clan run by his brothers that had practically disowned him when he donated his entire inheritance to charity and joined the police academy, but the struggling waitress that he met on a Tokyo pier once upon a time that he would later marry and would later give birth to his two children. He motioned for Yamato to take his seat again, and it was then that the chief decided that perhaps it was only fair if he told the young man the whole story. "You're not the only one who has ever had family threatened by the Oshiro Yakuza."

Without another word, Yamato sat down again and prepared himself for the worst. It would take two more hours, but it was that night that he learned the truth about the Oshiros, and that he finally remembered where exactly he had heard the name before.

* * *

><p>He smiled when she finally came into his view as he waited for her in front of his apartment building, and Takeru just breathed a sigh of relief and waved over at Hikari as he walked to meet her halfway. They actually hadn't made plans that night to meet up, instead their current hanging out being something that was more spur of the moment, and Takeru could appreciate the fact that Hikari was most definitely going to take his mind off of the shouting that had been going on for what seemed like hours back in the apartment, even if the yelling had actually been more like a few minutes than anything else, family dinner with both his parents being filled with more tension than any writer could actually put to paper.<p>

Hikari returned the wave before she tucked her hands back into the warm pockets of her jacket, and she gave Takeru a smile that was sincere even though she didn't think the one that was on his face was completely genuine. He was glad enough to see her, that for sure she could tell, but the way that he had sounded just slightly off over the phone, the way that he sounded like if perhaps he really didn't want to be home at the moment, that in particular was what made her have her doubts about the grin that was plastered on her best friend's face.

"You doing okay?" she asked when they were finally face to face, Hikari for once not actually wanting to skirt around the issue with him.

Unsurprisingly, Takeru laughed, and simply began walking towards nowhere in particular, Hikari quickly matching his step without asking where exactly they were going. It was unspoken between them, but wherever one of them went the other would make their way there as well. Through all the bullshit, through all the heartache, that was a truth that each of them had somehow always known. "Is it that obvious that something's up?"

Hikari breathed out, creating little clouds of vapor when said breath came into contact with the cold night air. She shrugged, it not being anything new that she was able to read Takeru like a book. "I know you better than pretty much everyone, don't I?"

Takeru frowned for a second as they continued to walk, the frown also being there because of the fact that his first gut reaction to immediately rid himself of the agitation he was feeling was to call Hikari before anyone else, but he shrugged it off since what she said was true enough, not counting his trusty pig-bat roommate of course. "Maybe not Patamon. Apparently I talk in my sleep."

She gave a giggle, momentarily forgetting the uneasy tone of Takeru's voice when he had called her so that the two of them could meet up, and an image came into her mind of Patamon watching Takeru sleep, all the while the creamy orange digimon munching on some chocolate covered carrots because that was Natsuko's way of tricking him into eating his vegetables.

"Patamon is cute and all, but I'm not sure if his listening in on you in the middle of the night is that reliable." she shook her head and laughed again, elbowing Takeru at the same time so that he knew that she was kidding around, "Can anyone else verify that you talk in your sleep?"

It was an odd thing to think, even stranger to acknowledge, but the very first thought that came into Takeru's mind was to lie to Hikari. It wasn't a big lie like those women who tricked men into raising children that weren't theirs, or the cake in Portal, but it was a lie nonetheless. He didn't ponder on it much, instead the thought being more fleeting than anything else, and he actually felt that it would be something that he would very well end up laughing about later. Lying, especially to Hikari, wasn't the person that he was.

He scratched his head for a moment and looked just slightly to the side, hoping that things wouldn't be too awkward. "Ayano has mentioned a few times that I do."

Immediately, Hikari stopped walking just as they reached the sidewalk in front of his apartment building. It took a few seconds for Takeru to notice that she had stopped in her tracks, but when he did he too became motionless. Takeru and Ayano becoming physically intimate was something that she had an inkling was actually possible, but it was a completely different thing to actually have confirmation about the fact from one of the parties involved. True, Takeru didn't come right out and say that he and Ayano had made the beast with two backs or anything like that, but she was very capable of putting two and two together. She swallowed the lump in her throat though when she reminded herself that it wouldn't look good to freak out or break down or anything like that in front of Takeru at that moment, and that she would control herself, control her emotions.

Instead of doing anything else, Hikari just blinked, that being the only physical action she trusted herself doing. "I know that we've joked about it before, but I never knew that the two of you were actually doing those kinds of things."

Takeru was still looking away from Hikari, and his face was tinted red from embarrassment since the only other person who he had told about the more intimate parts of his love life was Daisuke, which admittedly might not have been the smartest thing to do since Daisuke's response was to immediately go out to buy an ice cream cake for celebration. He didn't answer vocally since he was sure his voice would crack if he tried to, and instead just gave a slow nod, hoping that that was enough for the Yagami girl.

There was nothing that she could really say to that, Hikari having the sudden urge to begin kicking around a nearby pebble to have something to take her mind off of what she had just found out, and she closed her eyes as a part of her wished that her parents had said no to her going out due to that incident about Yamato going missing and then turning up at the police station just about a week or so before.

It took a bit of inner strength, Hikari forcing herself not to tear up when she opened her eyes and as her gaze landed on Takeru, but her next words were something that she had to say. "I know that there's something that you want to talk about, Takeru, but don't you think that Ayano might be better suited to help you out? I mean, everything considered?"

Takeru remained just as silent as he had been so far, before he breathed out and a calm settled somewhere inside him. It was a fact that he had just acknowledged inside of himself that he wasn't exactly comfortable with, that it was one thing to have a girlfriend and another to have someone that you could completely trust in. "You said it yourself that you know me better than anyone, Hikari. Are you still willing to help me out?"

Slowly but surely a smile formed on Hikari's face once more. "Always."

**Drop me a review if you want to.**


	26. Twenty Years to Midnight

So, I find that I have to apologize once again considering that I spent another few months without updating this story. Part of me honestly wonders if there is anyone out there who is even still reading, which I hope that they are, considering that this actually might be my favorite chapter yet. It feels final in a way, even if there are a few chapters that are still yet to come.

The gang/yakuza stuff will take a serious break for now, since all that was stuff I introduced just for some background for a future chapter, and a future way to lead to an end of this odd tale.

Really, the motivating thing for me to update this chapter was, not only how long it was since the last update, but a dream I had about an ex-girlfriend. We were in her bed together, sitting side by side as we listened to the 'Love Album' of The Beatles (my favorite band, and hers), and we weren't doing anything other than talking, about life, about the future in general. It made me miss her.

Anyways, forget my little dream, and let's walk onward to the story, eh? California is waiting for us.

Quote of the day:

_**"When the world was at its worst, there you came-fire in your eyes, like something out of a storybook. I'll never forget that."**_

_**-Shianni, Dragon Age: Origins**_

* * *

><p>Hikari nodded as she walked with Takeru at her side, the cold Odaiba air frosting her cheeks and reminding her that her conversation with Takeru was probably something that was best done over the phone. Despite the truth in the thought, despite the moments that she shivered from the frigid Northern winds that breezed by them as they walked, she couldn't help but grin whenever Takeru's arm brushed against her own, Hikari all the while hoping that the smiles that only momentarily came across his face had just an inkling to do with her as well.<p>

"So, that's the whole story." Takeru sighed out tiredly, part of him wishing that the comfortable silence that there had been between him and Hikari the past few minutes that they walked together had actually continued to exist.

She nodded again, not really sure what to say beyond the fact that she was glad that Yamato had been able to walk away from all that ugliness without a scratch. It was the first that she had heard of what happened other than the fact that Yamato had been found safe and sound, and she wondered if anyone besides herself and Sora actually knew the truth of what occurred. Her mind was put to ease in knowing that Yamato was perfectly fine, and she was especially glad that she wouldn't have to feel guilty about being proud of the fact that she was the very first person that Takeru had gone to for comfort.

She smiled at an old woman that they passed on the sidewalk as they strode together, Hikari having no doubt that the elderly woman was inwardly commenting to herself about what a cute couple that she and Takeru made, and she couldn't help but glance over at him and appreciate how he looked with the darkness of the night obscuring his face. There was a bit of mystery in the face that was hidden partially by shadows, but even with the dark, even without a sun, he still looked like the boy she had always known. She raised an eyebrow at the thought once she actually pondered on it for a moment, considering how strange it was that no matter how much he changed, no matter how much _they_ changed, his eyes always seemed to shine.

Looking away before he had a chance to notice, Hikari sighed, a little more than doleful that she couldn't be any more of a help than she currently was. "I'm glad that Yamato-san is okay, but I'm honestly not really sure what to say, Takeru."

Takeru's lips pursed as he thought, sounds of his parent's yells still ringing in his ears. He frowned as he then looked up at the sky, at that moment feeling confident that he wouldn't trip over anything as he walked. "I suppose that I don't really want you to say anything, Hikari. It's good enough that you're lending me your ear."

She peered in his direction out of the corner of her eye, and even though she watched as he nodded to himself in self-reassurance, she couldn't help but note the insincere way that Takeru's mouth quivered every now and then as he thought to himself. It was something she couldn't help but wonder about as the two of them walked the streets of Odaiba, the faces of strangers all around them filled with the same kinds of falsehoods, the same kinds of lies.

It was a look she had seen many times in the eyes of shop keeps and merchants who forced smiles on their faces for the customers, even as they struggled with nagging worries in the back of their minds of their uncertainty of whether or not their store was even profitable enough for them to keep it open for another month. It was a look she had seen in the faces of couples that she and Takeru had walked passed earlier that night, each with their own stories and tragedies, their own dreams, and their own unsure wonderings as to whether the person that held their hands was the one who was destined to help them achieve said dreams. It was a look she had seen staring back at herself from her reflection in a mirror on more than one occasion, Hikari constantly telling herself that it was okay to go and dash after the person that she was in love with, only to be stopped by moments of shame when she realized that now there was someone else who was in the picture with them, someone whose job it was to be there for Takeru when he needed it. She didn't know what it was that Takeru was trying to convince himself so hard of in his mind, and even though she felt a pang of guilt as she did it, Hikari ignored her conscience and did the only thing that she thought could comfort Takeru at that very moment.

She grabbed his hand.

Takeru's face reddened as he felt the small and soft hand that was trying to wrap itself around his own, and he cast his eyes off to the side, ashamed of the fact that after only a moment of hesitation, he returned the gesture. They walked hand in hand, faces reddened with both embarrassment and quiet warmth, and the two teenagers refused to met each others gaze, as if keeping their eyes from meeting took away from the intimacy of the moment. It was something that he didn't actually believe though, and for one guilt-ridden moment Takeru imagined Hikari and himself going on the same exact walk five years into the future, under the same Odaiba sky and the very same lights that made the city shine as bright as they did.

The two of them walked silently until the apartment building where Hikari lived came into full view, and they each stopped walking, instead taking that moment to simply look up at her home, each of the teenagers noting in the back of their minds that their hands were still fiercely clutched with one another. It wasn't until Hikari sighed and closed her eyes for a moment that she let herself pull away from Takeru, and walked a few steps towards her home before she turned around to face him once again.

"I should get home, Takeru." the girl offered a genuine smile, part of her unsatisfied that she had been unable to give any valuable insight into Takeru's life, but for the most part glad that she had at least been there to lend the boy her ear.

Takeru still felt her warmth on his hand, and he hesitated for a moment as he thought of what exactly he should say. She continued to smile at him, the cold wind continued to breeze by, and the lights of the city continued to shine on in the brightness that had made itself a home in their lives, and he swallowed whatever fears he had as he then called out to Hikari like so many times he had already done in his life. "Let's never change, Hikari!"

The teenage girl stopped walking, and quirked her eyebrow once more, this not being the first time that Takeru had asked for things between them to never ever change. She quietly made her way back over to him, and rested a gentle hand on his shoulder, feeling the same as he did about the way things were when it came to their relationship, but at the same time knowing how unrealistic it would be for them to cling onto their past for the rest of their lives. "Things change, Takeru." she offered him a smile again, hoping that he wouldn't see this as another rejection from her. "Even us."

"They don't have to." Takeru replied after a moment of silence, casting his eyes away from Hikari all the while.

A gust of wind breezed by the two of them once more, and Hikari shivered again, knowing that she would have to get inside soon enough. She couldn't leave the conversation ending how it would if she left though, and with her hands she grabbed Takeru on each side of his face and forced him to look directly into her own. He was indeed handsome, she admitted herself, in the dark of the night with the only illumination being the lights of the city that never seemed to have an end to their ever-dazzling lives, and part of her wondered why she herself had never seen it. Perhaps it was this same desire that Takeru had for things to never change between them, Hikari more than once turning away his advances whenever he wanted to become something more than the friends she had always promised herself they would be, and she couldn't help but chuckle at the way that their roles had seemingly reversed over the past year.

She leaned forward and brought his head down, Hikari bringing Takeru almost nose to nose with herself. "I hold you very close to my heart, Takeru, closer than I think is safe." She backed away and let go of Takeru's face, instead resting one of her hands on his shoulder again. "There might be a time though where we can't be the same as we are right now, and that's the way that life is. People change, Takeru, even you and I."

She wasn't sure how much she believed her words, or better put, how much she _didn't_ _want_ to, but when he said nothing in response, Hikari just leaned forward and gave Takeru a kiss on his cheek. She turned around again, the night being too cold for her to stand it any longer, and she turned around once more and gave one last wave to Takeru as she walked away from him. "Call your girlfriend, Keru-kun," her eyes lingered on him and her voice spoke his name with more affection than was probably safe for either of their hearts, "She's probably worried about you, and your brother."

Takeru nodded his response as he watched her walk away, and the teenage boy couldn't help but sigh, both his heart and his mind being so very confused that moment. There were times where he wondered if it was okay, the way he was with Ayano at the same time where he would cast his eyes off to the side, pondering how life would have changed if it was Hikari that was there with him instead. He swallowed the guilt that threatened to bubble up every time he let his mind wonder to this particular topic, but deep down he knew that it wasn't fair to any of the parties involved that this was the way that he thought.

He continued watching her direction until Hikari was out of sight, and he continued to stare after her as he thought about just where exactly he was in life. He felt his phone vibrate, and Takeru continued to let it ring, not knowing if it was either his parents or his girlfriend, and at the moment not really caring to find out. His mind was still mulling over what Hikari had said, how the passage of time changes things and how there could possibly come a moment where they wouldn't be the same people that they currently were, and as he watched and thought, fifteen quiet minutes softly passing him by just like that cool nighttime breeze that didn't seem to ever want to leave him, he came to a decision then and there.

A moment later, he ran after Hikari.

* * *

><p>Taichi was the one that let him in almost as soon as he had begun to impatiently knock on the door to the Yagami apartment, and after Taichi had stepped aside, not doing anything to hide the annoyed expression on his face, Takeru's eyes raced around the room as they searched for the only person who he would ever be looking for. He grinned when he saw Hikari, the embarrassed teenage girl already changed into her kitty-cat spangled pajamas that perhaps weren't as mature as one would think a girl her age would be wearing.<p>

He was out of breath, running and only stopping the moment he boarded the elevator that led him to her floor, and Takeru stood there, not saying a word, at the same time not having a single clue as to what it was he wanted to say. He knew that he wanted to say something, his soul was warm and the bubbles of emotions inside of him felt like they were going to burst at any moment, but even so, the boy just remained where he was, dumbfounded by his own actions. He remained panting, and everyone else in the living room of the Yagami apartment held their breaths, a game show host on the shining and brightly playing TV being oblivious to the scene that was unfolding before them.

He remembered reading once about a theory that some people had that human beings are instinctive creatures, and they know when moments approach that will change their lives forever. It wasn't typical for him to give such credence to something he had only read once, to something he had heard no one else even talk about, but the instant that he had been standing just in view of Hikari's home, watching her walk away from him, he had been sure that one of those moments was upon them. Even so, he knew that he couldn't be sure that running after Hikari had been the right course of action, had been the thing that would keep their relationship, their friendship, forever safe, but what he did know was that as he dashed after her, as the cold Japan wind chilled his face in response to his burst of speed, that it was something that not only felt right, but necessary.

Seeing that no one else seemed to want to speak, Taichi was the first one to make himself known, the older of the Yagami offspring still standing by the door and still with an annoyed look on his face. "Is there something you need, Takeru-kun?" Taichi had to stop himself from barking that out, considering that any more of Takeru's antics would cause him to miss more of the game show that he had been waiting all day to watch, "If you need a ride somewhere, I'm sure I can give Yamato a call. He seemed fine enough from his 'vacation' when I talked to him earlier."

Takeru's eyes remained on Hikari, and he took in a deep breath, clearly not prepared for what his heart had forced him to do despite the fact that his brain wasn't even ready yet. "I need to speak with Hikari."

Taichi sighed, sending a pained and longing glance to the TV all the while. "I'm sure you guys can talk tomorrow, seeing as how it's late right now. "

"I'll be fast," the teenage boy promised, releasing the nervous air that had built up in his lungs, "I won't take long."

Hikari's and Takeru's respective gazes remained locked on one another, each of them remaining perfectly still as they watched the other. It was something that Yuuko and Susumu, who had been sitting on the couch the entire time to watch their favorite game show, didn't know how to process. The married pair quickly glanced at one another, before looking at the teenage boy who was standing in the middle of their home, staring at their daughter with a burning passion in his eyes.

"Should I," the Yagami patriarch hesitated as he whispered to his wife, "should I kick him out?"

"Not yet," she whispered back, expertly lobbing a piece of popcorn into her mouth as she watched.

As he noticed that everyone was waiting on him, unsure of what he had shown up at this hour of the night to say, Takeru took a step forward, swallowing every bit of guilt, shame, fear, and hesitation that came with the words that were about to roll off his tongue. "I want to stand at your side, Hikari."

The girl in question bit her lip, shaking her head as she sighed. "Takeru, just because things change doesn't mean that that's a bad thing," she paused, taking a deep breath, before going on, "it just means that things are different, for the better or the worse."

"The way I see it," he didn't even wait to respond, "I don't see how my life could be better if you weren't in it."

It was something that both Taichi and Susumu rolled their eyes at, but Hikari instead just stared for a moment, before nodding, knowing how sincere he was, and knowing just exactly where his sentiment came from. She was about to say that she felt the same way, that she wanted to cling to him in the same vein that it appeared he was trying to do to her, before she felt a throb in her chest, her mind drifting to a certain artist girl that lived her life wrapped in what pomp futures and posh dreams could be found in Odaiba, a prize that only the wealthy and the powerful could ever hope to grasp for.

"You have a girlfriend," she said at last, that being enough of an explanation for why she couldn't let Takeru become the guy that Ayano would complain about upon telling stories of her bastard ex-boyfriend.

Everything was silent for more than a moment, and something changed in Takeru as he stood there. His eyes didn't glisten with tears that both he and Hikari had been afraid would make themselves known, and he didn't shake and his lips didn't quiver as he remained standing up straight. He held his head up, proud, and his steely eyes didn't once look away from Hikari. He was a warrior, and he felt that it was about time that he started acting like one.

"I'm not asking to be your boyfriend," he said honestly, the tribal drums of his ancestors surrounding his rapidly beating heart, "I'm just asking that you'll let me be in your life, and that you'll be in mine. Whether it's as a brother, or as a best friend, I don't care. Just promise me that things won't change."

As both teenagers continued to stare at one another, they each knew that it was something that she could never promise him, the gods often having a different plan for how things are meant to turn out. She nodded though, if only to remain in her youthful fancy for just a moment of time longer, Takeru standing next to her as they grasped for the unattainable.

And the two of them smiled, the gods having no idea what they were in for.

* * *

><p>I'll try to have the next chapter out soon enough as an apology for me taking so long with this one, and I actually know what I want it to be about. It will take place in one of those karaoke booths that are so popular in Japan these days, and it will involve our two main protagonists, and also a bit of Daisuke and Ayano. Part of me is actually thinking of putting Daisuke up there alongside Hikari and Takeru in the main characters section for the description of this story? I'm not sure and I haven't decided yet, but after them, and I suppose Ayano, he's turned out to be the most prominent character yet.<p> 


	27. The God of Small Things

It's been a while, but I'm finally back with another chapter. I honestly assume that people keep thinking this is discontinued on account of the long waits between chapters, but I'll try to be better about it in the future. I want to really finish this story, and I like that I'm close. I honestly have the last paragraph and the last line already written and decided, but for what it's worth I still have to make it there in short time hopefully.

I guess since I haven't explained it yet, the naming conventions for this story is that every odd chapter is named after a novel on my bookshelf, and every right numbered chapter is named for a different episode of _**The Venture Bros.**_ I know that it's an admittedly odd way to name one's chapters, but I feel like it's gotten me this far anyways.

One thing that has been on my mind for a while was the description used for this story that I never did quite like. It lacked originality and the 'flash' so to speak, so I figured I might as well change it to something that if you get the reference, that that means we'll be best friends until the end of time. Seriously, if you get the reference I friggin' love you. In any case, I guess you can assume by now that I've up and gone and changed the description of the story, and if this is somehow worse than the last description, let me know and I'll go about looking for a way to change this one as well.

Also, I've gone about adding Daisuke to the main character list. I figured he deserved it. I also considered adding the 'OC' thing as a character as well, but I figure I'll let that idea settle for the moment, since I'm unsure about just how exactly I feel about that.

Quote of the day:

**_"Jaime and I are more than just brother and sister. We shared a womb. We came into the world together. We belong together."_**

**_-Cersei Lannister, Game of Thrones_**

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><p>Takeru laughed harder than he ever thought he would as he listened to Daisuke butcher his rendition of one of the latest Top 40 songs that everyone was singing these days, and the young teenager continued to smile, knowing that the laughter and the terrible singing was all in good fun shared among their group of friends, the whole lot of them taking Miyako up on her suggestion of a karaoke night. Miyako had pushed for it to be a date night sort of thing, but seeing as Daisuke had no girlfriend, and Hikari also had no significant other as well, it was decided amongst themselves that having just a friends night out would be good enough, with any of them being able to bring any dates they could if they so wished. There had been a lot of trouble and worry with his brother lately, and trouble with his relationship with Hikari as well, with him not knowing where exactly they stood with one another, and where it was that their future was headed down the line, so it was good to be able to just have one night to relax, and to have the chance to just sit back and enjoy a few hours of the group making a bunch of fools of themselves.<p>

Miyako had brought Ken of course as her own date, the bold girl going so far as to proclaim that after they all parted ways, that she and her beau were due to end their night on a 'magical' note. What that magic exactly entailed Takeru had no clue, but as he watched Miyako's spastic movements and boisterous form, and Ken's face that ever reddened at the antics of his beloved, he felt better not precisely knowing. Ken had sung one song already, a bit more sweetly than Takeru initially thought would come out at first, and it hadn't been hard to imagine the star of Tamachi High having every girl at his school, and a couple of the boys as well, fawning over him with amorous thoughts in their minds, and with songs of hope in their hearts. Miyako was a different story altogether. Unlike Ken who actually seemed like he had a clue as to just what exactly he was doing, Miyako bellowed out the words of her song, sounding more like the drudge and sludge of the Sex Pistols, than the sweet otherworldly cadence of the Court of the Crimson King that Ken had somehow channeled on his go at the mic. They were even set to sing a duet together later in the night, Miyako insisting on playing the part of the male, and Ken of the female. Oddly enough, it was the most anticipated part of the evening.

Takeru's gaze then turned to the young crimson faced Iori who was sitting in the corner with a girlfriend of his own that he brought along for the night to everyone's surprise, and his ocean blue eyes landed on the pair, Takeru grinning a knowing smile. The girl's name was Rei, or Ray, or Reina, or something of the sort, Takeru honestly feeling just a tad bit guilty since he couldn't exactly remember her name, but they were a nice looking pair, if a bit timid. They were holding hands, but each of them kept looking away from one another, which made him know that holding hands was the furthest that Iori had ever gone with this new girlfriend of his. It was something that he remembered well, the stammering and the redness of face that came with such close contact with someone they had feelings for, and Takeru knew fully well the kinds of thoughts and doubts and hopes that run through the mind of someone who so easily became that embarrassed at even the slightest touch with the person they held close in their hearts.

He remembered going through the same in his younger days, his time spent with Hikari being days and nights where his face was just a bit more flushed than at other times, or where his voice cracked with nervousness more than he would like whenever replying to the girl. She hadn't felt the same about him of course, the girl making it clear to him whenever she let him down softly with words that were as sharp and as painful as they were gentle as well. In any case, it was a good thing to see them together as they were, even if he didn't exactly know this girl who Iori had brought along with him.

His thoughts were broken by the laughter of the girl sitting to his right, the one at his left, his girlfriend, remaining quiet just as she had for most of the night. He turned to look at Hikari, and couldn't help but laugh even harder than he had at Daisuke when he saw her snort out some soda from her nose. It was completely unladylike, pretty disgusting, not something she should have been doing out in public or in front of Iori's girlfriend who she hadn't even had a proper conversation with that night, but at the same time it was probably one of the cutest things that Takeru had seen all evening. His laughter settled into a smile as he continued to watch her for a moment, knowing that Hikari being able to laugh so much, and being able to act so adorably gross, meant that she was comfortable around her friends, and that she was happy.

He didn't say a word, but instead reached over to the table that the leftovers of their food from earlier rested, and grabbed a couple of napkins for Hikari. He handed them to her, giving a small and joking shake of his head as he dangled the napkins in front of her for effect. "Need a hand?" he said, smiling as he did so, Hikari's face pinking as she accepted the napkins to clean herself up without a word.

Had he been more perceptive, he might have noticed the way that Ayano's face soured for a moment at all the attention that he was giving Hikari for the time being. Takeru had no clue to her feelings though, jealousy or love or hatred or just whatever exactly those feelings turned out to be, but she said nothing of it, Takeru being left in the dark in turn.

When Daisuke finally finished his go of the mic, he gave a dramatic bow before setting the microphone back down, and then to the annoyance of the one person in the room that was wearing glasses, he plopped himself right in between Miyako and Ken, wrapping an arm around each of them. "You guys wanna take a break?"

"What are you doing, you troglodyte?" Miyako's voice was sharp and shrill as she gave Daisuke a punch to his gut, "Go sit with Hikari or something!"

Not wanting to see their rather fun evening turn into a blood bath after all that effort, Takeru figured it best to intervene, at least just this once. "Maybe a break would be okay?" Takeru pryed, mostly for Daisuke's benefit, "Another round of chicken and refills sounds good to me."

Miyako narrowed her eyes for a moment in Takeru's direction, probably wondering what his endgame with this break was, before she stood up and huffed, announcing to the world her intentions, even if they were better left unsaid. "I need to go to the bathroom anyways." she puffed her chest out as if it was something to be proud of, smacking Daisuke on the back of his head as she walked.

Takeru watched in silence as Miyako also motioned for Iori's girlfriend to follow her, and gave a small smirk of amusement when he saw that Hikari too got up, citing a girl code about going to the bathroom together, but not without rolling her eyes as she dashed after the strangest girl that any of them had ever known. It almost went over his head, but Takeru couldn't help but feel nagged in the back of his mind when he noticed that the only girl who didn't head off to the restroom with the rest of the herd was his girlfriend Ayano. His aqua blue eyes trailed to her in her spot beside him, and he watched as she frowned, going through her phone.

"Is everything okay?" Takeru asked, though what he had actually wanted to question her about was why she didn't follow Miyako and the rest of them to the bathroom. Iori's girlfriend was a fresh face that none of the rest of them had ever known before, and yet even she had followed this strange female tradition. He knew that there wasn't much love lost between Miyako and Ayano, or even worse, Hikari and Ayano, but all of them were people he held fondly in his life, and people that he wished with all his heart would get along.

"I have like ten missed calls from my brother," Ayano replied with a concerned face, "do you mind if I call him back and see what's up?"

She bit her lip as she gave him a pleading look, not wanting to interrupt their date, but also not wanting to leave her brother Masato just hanging in the dust. Takeru gave her a quiet nod of his head, hoping that everything was okay, and he offered a smile when she gave him a pat on his thigh before she went off to answer her brother's calls. He watched her as she left through one of the doors in the room they rented for their karaoke night, and something that Takeru noticed that he didn't quite take to kindly to was the fact that Daisuke had watched her leave as well, and that his face had grown serious as Daisuke's eyes lingered in the direction she had went. He preferred not to say anything about it though, Takeru feeling that maybe he had simply misunderstood what he thought he saw. Still, as he tried to bury it away, there was still a part of him that it gnashed at.

"Everything good, Dai?" Takeru wondered out loud, speaking Daisuke's nickname instead of proper name, to hide any of the harshness that could have otherwise been found in his tone. It didn't work as well as he had hoped it would on account of the face that Daisuke made when the other teenage boy looked away from the direction that Ayano had gone off in and then back towards his old friend. The two of them stared at one another, the lightness of the evening honestly feeling as if it was something distant and far away, and across the room Ken and Iori both remained quiet, neither one of them wanting to get involved with whatever the hell was about to go down.

"Everything's fine." Daisuke responded, a hint of dare in his voice, "What about for you?"

It was only the barest challenge, but it was a challenge nonetheless. They had been kids when they had last fought each other because of a girl, and that girl had been Hikari. It was something that had been behind the two of them for so many years that he almost forgot that it had ever been there in the first place. Takeru pursed his lips as he watched Daisuke, Daisuke in turn watching him with eyes that carried more intent than normal.

"You were looking at Ayano." Takeru said matter of factly, it not being a question since he had seen it with his own eyes.

Daisuke gave a bored snort as he relaxed in his seat, nonchalantly grabbing onto the last chicken wing sitting in a nearby bowl. "I didn't know that you were the type to get angry when someone looks at your girlfriend."

"You weren't looking at her" Takeru insisted, his hands starting to clench into fists. "you were _looking_ at her." he emphasized.

A familiar flicker of rivalry flared for a moment between the two teenage boys, before oddly enough, it was Daisuke who looked away, not out of fear or shame, but instead out of simply wanting to avoid fighting against a friend he held as dear as Takeru. Takeru might not know what it was that he wanted from the world, who it was that he wanted to be at his side as he explored it, but Daisuke knew, as did everyone else, on just who exactly Takeru wanted to be with, even if he was too ashamed to say that it was Hikari.

Daisuke closed his eyes for a moment, before he once more found himself resting his gaze on Takeru. The whole room was silent as the girls had yet to return, and in that moment Daisuke decided to ask the most piercing question of them all. "What about you, Takeru?" his voice was hard and strong, yet not unkind. "Who is it that you've been _looking_ at?"

Takeru only glanced away, unable to give him an answer.

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><p>He debated for a moment whether or not it was okay to take a nap or not, considering that Ayano was out for a karaoke night with Takeru and his friends, and he frowned as he rested on one of the many leather couches that were found in the Oshiro Manor, Goro wondering just how much of a life he had as he stared up at the ceiling that was so high up above him. Much of it really did revolve around his best friend Ayano and the Oshiro family, and her face came up in his mind as he thought about her. He loved her with all his heart, she loved him too, had been in love with him at one point until she realized just how fruitless a relationship like theirs would turn out to be, and it was his duty for as long as he could remember to watch over her, to be by her side, and to protect her. He had done more than that though over the years, more than had been asked of him, because at the end of the day, at the end of his job that he had never thought of as a job, Goro had become Ayano's friend.<p>

They watched cheesy romance movies together, and whispered in the dark with one another in the lightless hours before the dawn, talking about this guy and that guy, and whatever hopes and dreams that danced across the heart of a girl. They read crappy romances about sparkling vampires and shirtless werewolves together, and giddily went to the midnight screenings of those awfully written books whenever one of the movies came out in the cinema. He watched out for her when Masato couldn't, fulfilling a promise that Goro had made to her brother considering the fact that he had been sent elsewhere to receive his education. Goro had been her constant companion in school or at break, shopping at the mall together, or simply going with her for a walk whenever the young miss, as she was so often called, felt like taking in the Spring or Summer air, or the cold of the Winter morning or Autumn night. He even braided Ayano's hair more often than anyone else ever did it, and the thought made him wonder as he continued to stare blankly at the ceiling. Being at her side pretty much defined his life, and tonight he had been left behind while she went off to go and sing the night away with people who she wasn't even sure if they liked her or not. He didn't know how to feel about that.

"Goro?" the voice of a young girl interrupted his thoughts, Goro giving a yawn as his first response.

"Is there something you need, miss?" he went on to ask after another yawn, Goro not turning around or getting up, simply waiting until Ayano's little sister continued on with whatever it was she had come to say. He wasn't quite sure which of the younger twins it was, Ayame and Ayako being, as it was, twins, but Goro gave a shrug since he supposed that at the end of the day, that it didn't quite matter really. "I would rather not braid your hair if that's what you want me to do."

He said it teasingly enough, Goro being obedient and diligent, more than willing to braid Ayame or Ayako's hair if that was what they wanted him to do. She however only huffed, causing the contemplative gangster to snort a laugh where he lay.

"I don't need you to braid my hair." She gave a sniff of superiority and annoyance, apparently forgetting what it was that she had gone to Goro to say.

For his part, Goro only shrugged, himself doubting that anything that the young girl said would truly be anything of substance. "I'm a bit tired to play with you right now, my lady."

The little girl huffed again, pretending, albeit very badly, that she didn't want Goro's company. "My brother was looking for you."

Without another word, Goro rolled off the leather couch, and straightened out his clothes as he gave another yawn. He wondered what Masato wanted. On one hand it was important enough that Masato would go about stalling by sending one of his little sisters to deliver the message to him, but on the other hand it wasn't dangerous enough that it involved any other yakuza members. As he walked passed Ayame or Ayako, he still couldn't quite tell which was which, he mussed her brown hair for a moment, content to be in her life, even if it was in service to her family.

As he walked towards Masato's chambers on the other side of the manor, the black haired Goro found himself walking passed a certain marble table that had the name 'Denjiro' carved into it, and the photo of a teenage boy resting on it. Goro paused for a moment, and gave a reverent bow of his head in respect of Ayano's dead older brother, and he took a moment to admire the picture, letting the image burn into his mind. Denjiro had the same brown hair that the rest of his family shared, and their eyes as well, and he couldn't help but wonder just how life would have been had Denjiro not died all those years ago.

Unlike the pairs of Ayano and Masato, or Ayako and Ayame, Denjiro was not a twin, and that enough was an oddity in Goro's eyes. The Oshiros were a family of twins dating back for generations upon generations, and yet there Denjiro was, happily bouncing on in his lonesome before the shared births of Ayano and Masato. Denjiro's appearance was a queer thing as well, having the soft and delicate features of his sister Ayano, and with the gentle eyes of Masato that the other teenage boy had whenever he wasn't angry at something. As he stood there, Goro gave Denjiro the courtesy of a moment of silence before moving on, it not feeling right in his heart if he simply went about his business without paying his respects.

When he found Masato, the young master was reading something in the recliner that he had in his room, and Goro coughed as he entered to announce his presence, even though he knew that Masato had already seen him the moment that he opened the door. Masato regarded him for a moment before setting his book down, and Goro simply followed without a word as Masato picked himself up from his recliner and asked Goro to trail after him. Goro did so without question, but the dark haired teenager couldn't help but give a small smile as the pair soon found themselves walking the long driveway in front of the Oshiro manor, nothing keeping them company except for the cold air of the night, and whatever watched them from the Heavens up above.

"I'm surprised that my sister didn't take you with her tonight," Masato interrupted the silence of the night as the two of them continued to walk in their frosty solitude, "Nono usually drags you along to wherever it is she feels like going."

The use of Ayano's nickname by Masato wasn't lost on Goro, but he couldn't help but note just how tenderly her brother had said his name for her, and the way that Masato's usually fierce eyes softened at the same time. "She's with Takeru-kun and his friends," Goro was quick to reply, and even quicker to elaborate, "she wants to feel more welcomed there. Daisuke-kun likes her well enough, and his opinion of her seems to be higher than say, Hikari-chan's opinion of her, but I'm not sure how much of that is a genuine like of her, and how much of that is just him wanting to sleep with her."

Masato's mouth tightened up at that last part. "Are those creatures with them? Ishida's demon pig, or Yagami's Satanic talking cat?"

Goro frowned at the thought, the creatures that trailed after the likes of Takeru and Daisuke being things that always made a chill run up his spine. "The creatures seem to mostly just stay indoors and out of the sight of the public. The group didn't take them out for karaoke night."

The future kingpin gave a nod of approval at Goro's report, before shaking his head and reaching into the pockets of the coat he was wearing for a cigarette. "My sister is too good for him," Masato spoke bitterly, partly from the frigid cold, but mostly because of the hate, and the love, he had in his heart, "she's too stupid to know when someone doesn't want her around."

He frowned once more at Masato's words, though he said nothing on it, seeing the guilt in his friend and leader's eyes at what he just said about his own sister. He remained silent, Goro figuring that it was best to merely let Masato rant, and simply accepted a cigarette from Masato when it was offered. He wasn't really a smoker, he never had been, but as he lit the little stick of cancer, and as he let the smoke from the tobacco fill his lungs, he had to admit that it did create a sense of warmth in himself. As he released the smoke into the dark air that was the night of Japan, he felt at home, and felt that there was no better place in the world than the driveway of the Oshiro manor that he had already spent so much of his life walking and protecting.

"What my sister needs," Masato continued, all the while shivering from the cold, "is someone who will love her just as much as she loves him."

It wasn't the first time that he had heard this argument or train of thought from Masato, Takeru only being the latest in the long line of people that Ayano's twin brother felt weren't good enough for his dear sweet sister. Whether it was someone who came from the same yakuza lifestyle as themselves, or someone who was from a more modest, if apparently occult, way of living like Takeru or anyone who ranked among their little group, none of them had ever been good enough in Masato's eyes. As he bit back the cold, and as his thoughts darkened, Goro knew that none of them ever would be.

Masato took another drag and once more released some smoke. "There's someone out there for everyone, Goro, someone for every single person on this planet, you know? A soul mate."

It was the kind of sentiment that Masato only ever showed in front of Ayano or himself, and Goro's meditative face softened, knowing that Masato's own words only worked to tear at how he felt inside. Part of him wanted to pity him, and part of him wanted to hate him, but he remained silent, even if he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold it in. He felt cold inside, but it wasn't from the temperature.

"My sister has a soul mate." Masato whispered after a minute or so of walking down the long and shadowy driveway, his voice sounding more gentle than it ever had before.

"And it isn't you." Goro snapped, surprising them both.

The two teenagers stopped where they were walking, and silence overtook them, the only sound heard for the next few minutes being the winds of the Japan night. They watched each other, they hated each other, they loved each other, they wanted to yell at each other, and to cry at each others words, but they remained stoic and quiet, the howling wind being the only sound they needed.

"You're disgusted with me, aren't you?" the young master broke the solemn air, the flame of his cigarette dying all the while, "I would be too considering that I'm," the words froze in Masato's throat as he thought of his sister Ayano, and of those dark brown eyes that haunted his dreams. He didn't finish his sentence, because speaking those words out loud was the only thing that made it real, and he trailed off where he was, Masato not bothering to pretend that Goro didn't know what that dark thing that gnawed at his very soul each and every day was.

"Considering that you're in love with your own," Goro began, but stopped, not being able to find it in his heart to finish. Only speaking something out loud made it real, whether it was in the world of the mafia or the angsty teenager. It was something that Goro had always known, that Masato had as well, and part of him wondered if Ayano knew, and if she ever returned the feelings that her brother had always been ashamed of himself for having. It was one thing to be like him, to look for love in someone of the same gender as himself, but it was another to have more than brotherly love for a sister.

Goro remained silent for a moment as he closed his eyes, unable to think of anything else to do, and he only sighed and shook his head as he looked up at the big black sky above him, knowing full well just how it felt to be in love with someone they weren't supposed to be.

"It's okay, Masato," he whispered, the two of them alone except for the dark sky, and the Heavens that glittered like diamonds in the night, "we don't get to choose who we love."

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><p>So that last twist is kind of squicky. I freely and immediately admit that, but it's something that you should have seen coming if you read the 'quote of the day', and if you've ever read the book that this chapter is named after. If you haven't, well...yeah. Even I'm staring blankly at the screen as I wonder if I legitimately typed out those words.<p>

Now that you've read, review maybe? I'd appreciate it. I won't hold it against you if you don't however. Have a good one!


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